Cincinnati Bengals Franchise Tag Tee Higgins For Second Time

For two years now the Bengals have been trying to get a deal done. It didn’t happen last year so the franchise tag was used. Apparently there are still negotiations needing to be done because a long-term deal has not yet been reached. So the Cincinnati Bengals put the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins for the second time. Applying the tag gives the Bengals more time to work toward getting a deal done and keeping Higgins in Cincinnati. The parties have until July 15 to work out an extension.

This is something that quarterback Joe Burrow would very much would like to see happen. He signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension in 2023. And he has gone on record saying he would be amenable to altering his contract, if necessary, to keep Higgins. He appeared on the “Pardon My Take” podcast on February 12 and was asked how that would help.

“You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit,” Burrow said. “You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus. You can also just take less money.” 

The Bengals are going to have to somehow manage Burrow’s contract because it takes up the most cap space. And they are trying to keep their team together by also keeping WR Ja’Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Both were finalists for the Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive player of the year respectively. Both want lucrative new deals.

Cincinnati Bengals Franchise Tag Tee Higgins For Second Time

The Bengals have already made a move to help create cap space by releasing guard Alex Cappa. That move cleared about $10.2 million in cap space. Cappa joined the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in the ’22 offseason starting all 50 regular-season games he played in for Cincinnati. Cincinnati also released defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins who battled a viral illness most of last season. That move created $9.6 million in cap space.

Players don’t like playing under the franchise tag because it’s better to have a long-term deal in place. However, if Higgins signs the franchise tag he would make a guaranteed $26.2 million for 2025. Last season he made $20.6 million with the franchise tag. At any rate, the best case scenario would be for the Bengals to get a new deal done. We’ll see if they can make it happen.

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