The Bengals chose to use the franchise tag for the Tee Higgins in their second straight off season.
Cincinnati made the move official Monday afternoon, saying in a statement they had made the decision “with the intention of continuing to strive for a long-term deal.”
Higgins responded to X's news after a while by posting a “tag”
The Higgins franchise tag is worth $26.2 million for next season if both parties are unable to reach an agreement on the expansion.
The deadline for reaching the extension with Higgins is July 15th.
The Bengals had expressed their desire to keep Higgins in the coming season during last week's NFL Combine.
“We can talk about making long-term deals with the tee three years ago. Today we're talking about making long-term deals,” said Duke Tobin, the player's HR director. According to the AP. “Whenever I work on a soccer team, I want Tee Higgins so I'm going to do what I can to get Tee Higgins.”
The turn of events is certainly a shame for Higgins, who was experiencing this situation last season and wanted to receive some degree of security in a long-term deal that had never been embodied.
It's now unfolding again, and if both parties don't close the deal, Higgins will become a free agent after this next season.
Higgins has played five seasons in the NFL after being filmed in the second round of the 2025 draft, earning a year in which he played five seasons in the NFL, including 10 touchdowns for 911 yards.
tag.
– TeeHiggins⁵ (@Teehiggins5) March 3, 2025
Bengal is not the only player trying to extend this offseason.
Star wide receivers Ja'marr Chase and All-Pro Edge Rusher Trey Hendrickson are two other players whose franchise is also focusing on re-signing. Both are set to become unlimited free agents after the 2025 season.
“We want to re-sign these guys, reward their ability levels and add them to the football team. It's a tall job, but I think we're doing that,” Tobin said.
