Bengals put franchise tag on Tee Higgins once more; now what?

Cincinnati Bengals director of participant personnel Duke Tobin sat in a largely empty ballroom on the Westin in downtown Indianapolis lately and had a well-recognized dialog.

But once more, the Bengals’ de facto GM was discussing extensive receiver Tee Higgins‘ long-term future with the group. For the previous three offseasons, Cincinnati has needed to make an enormous determination on one in all its high offensive gamers. The choice made Monday is a well-recognized one for each side of the negotiation.

The Bengals positioned the franchise tag on Higgins for the second straight 12 months. It marks the newest growth in a yearslong saga concerning Higgins and a possible long-term extension. Final 12 months, the 2 sides had been unable to achieve an settlement on an extension for the fifth-year receiver out of Clemson.

This 12 months, the Bengals tagged Higgins once more both as a short-term resolution or as a placeholder for a extra ultimate decision this offseason.

Higgins had a career-high 10 landing catches final season, and the Bengals had been 8-4 within the 12 video games he performed in in 2024, in contrast with 1-4 within the 5 he missed. Since getting into the league in 2020, Higgins has 34 receiving touchdowns, tied for the 14th most within the NFL. He is one in all 9 gamers with at the least 5 receiving TDs in every of the previous 5 seasons.

Taking a more in-depth look, Bengals reporter Ben Child solutions 5 massive questions concerning the transfer, together with the way it may have an effect on the possible offers for receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive finish Trey Hendrickson. Nationwide reporter Jeremy Fowler reveals what he is listening to across the league.

How did the Bengals and Higgins get so far?

That is the third 12 months the Bengals and Higgins have battled over a long-term extension. After Higgins was tagged final 12 months, he requested a commerce within the hopes of touchdown a brand new deal. He ended up signing the tag, enjoying 12 video games and, maybe most notably, switched brokers forward of this 12 months’s massive negotiation, from David Mulugheta to Rocky Arceneaux and Caitlin Aoki of Alliance Sports activities Administration. Arceneaux additionally represents Higgins’ teammate, Ja’Marr Chase, who is also pursuing an extension.

Higgins has been a really productive receiver when wholesome. However with the window closing rapidly, the Bengals opted to put the tag on Higgins, which leaves the group with just a few choices. — Child

What is going to Higgins’ frame of mind be after failing to obtain an extension, and what recourse does he have within the scenario?

To be clear, the 2 sides can nonetheless attain an settlement on an extension. That deadline is not till July 15. Nevertheless, the very fact the Bengals tagged Higgins is not an awesome signal.

When Higgins received the tag final 12 months, it was an indication to him {that a} new deal wasn’t coming. Higgins wished to keep away from the noise and the drama final 12 months, which is why he accepted the tag effectively earlier than coaching camp.

Higgins introduced the newest tag himself with a four-character submit Monday: “tag.” Even when the group mentioned it desires to work towards a long-term deal, it’s price monitoring whether or not being tagged once more will increase Higgins’ frustration about his scenario in Cincinnati within the coming weeks. — Child

What are you listening to across the league?

The Bengals want to signal Higgins to a long-term deal, so the franchise tag is an efficient placeholder for them — to not point out that the worth of the tag, $26.1 million, is decrease than his precise worth within the extensive receiver market.

Folks across the league are skeptical as as to if the Bengals will pay Chase, Higgins and Hendrickson, however they will attempt. Count on rival groups to attempt to entice Cincinnati with a possible commerce bundle main as much as the draft, particularly if a receiver-needy group corresponding to New England would not get what it wants in free company. Cincinnati has a penchant for holding good gamers as an alternative of dealing them, nonetheless. — Fowler

What does this imply for Higgins’ future in Cincinnati?

The Bengals have at all times been very excessive on Higgins. Even amid the entire contract drama this 12 months, Tobin expressed how his fondness for the 2020 second-round draft decide has developed for the reason that second he was a Bengal.

“My opinion of Tee has not modified,” Tobin mentioned. “He walked within the constructing, I am like, ‘Yep, that is what I assumed he was. That is what he’s.'”

But when the Bengals cannot attain a long-term cope with Higgins, and the receiver would not need to play on the franchise tag, then Cincinnati ought to strongly take into account buying and selling him for draft capital with the hopes of discovering a possible substitute. — Child

How massive of a distraction may this turn out to be for Higgins and the group?

This could possibly be a large distraction. Remember the fact that when Higgins signed his 2024 franchise tag earlier than the beginning of coaching camp, he mentioned a part of the motivation was to keep away from being within the headlines.

He has been beloved by teammates and just about everybody contained in the constructing over the previous 5 years. That features quarterback Joe Burrow, who has been very vocal about holding Higgins in Cincinnati.

If the 2 sides cannot agree on a multiyear extension, managing the fallout with the franchise quarterback would be the largest impediment for Cincinnati’s entrance workplace to face. — Child

What does this imply for Chase and Hendrickson offers?

For starters, this might give Chase better leverage in his contract negotiation as he seeks to turn out to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in league historical past, which is one thing Tobin mentioned he hopes to perform.

With Higgins’ future unsure, there’s better urgency to safe at the least one long-term goal for Burrow over the subsequent few seasons. Nevertheless, if the Bengals preserve Higgins on the tag for the 2025 season, it can create much less cap house for the group to signal Chase and Hendrickson as a result of Higgins’ tag quantity will rely fully on the upcoming cap.

Nonetheless, Cincinnati ought to have ample house to get one thing achieved with its two All-Professional gamers, particularly with the cap rising to $279.2 million in 2025. — Child