The Cincinnati Bengals have placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins for the second straight year.
Higgins announced the news Monday by posting on X, “tag.”
The Bengals later announced the move, stating they did so “with the intent of continuing to work toward a long-term deal in Cincinnati” with Higgins.
Higgins’ franchise tender would pay him $26.2 million for the 2025 season if he’s unable to agree to a long-term contract with the Bengals by the July 15 deadline for such deals.
Teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to place the franchise tag on pending free agents.
Cincinnati has expressed optimism that the team can get deals done this offseason with Higgins, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Chase and Hendrickson are under contract for one more season. During his annual media session at the NFL scouting combine, Bengals de facto general manager Duke Tobin said the franchise wants to make Chase, an All-Pro receiver, the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.
Higgins has played an integral role in helping shift the Bengals from the worst team in the NFL into a championship contender.
The Bengals drafted Higgins in the second round of the 2020 draft, the same year Cincinnati took quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick. In five seasons, Higgins has been one of the league’s most productive receivers. During that time span, Higgins ranks 18th in total receiving yards (4,595) and 14th in touchdowns (34), according to ESPN Research.
But despite the numbers, being able to fit a second contract for Higgins into Cincinnati’s long-term future remained in doubt for years. Higgins sought a long-term extension in the 2023 and 2024 offseasons, with the latter negotiation resulting in the one-year franchise tag. The former Clemson standout switched agents at the end of the season ahead of the latest round of negotiations with the Bengals. Around the same time, Burrow repeatedly voiced his support for Cincinnati to re-sign Higgins.
Higgins, 26, has battled injury issues in recent years. Higgins has played in 12 games in each of the past two seasons. Several of those injuries have been soft-tissue problems, something he said he planned to address this offseason.
Even with the missed games, he caught 10 touchdowns in 2024, tied for sixth in the league. He was also 10th in receiving yards per game (75.9).
ESPN’s Ben Baby contributed to this report.
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