Late Friday night, news broke the Cincinnati Bengals were franchise tagging WR Tee Higgins. But there’s still hope they can do more than that. According to Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, the Bengals are hoping to sign Higgins long-term.
Reported Friday afternoon before the news of Higgins being tagged, Pauline hears the Bengals hope to extend Higgins to a multi-year deal.
“Media reports say the Bengals are expected to place the franchise tag on Higgins to keep him with the team in 2024. But I’ve been told the team wants him longer than just next season.
Sources close to the Bengals tell me the team is trying to negotiate a contract extension with Higgins to lock him up for the next several years.”
Pauline goes on to note that if the two sides can’t hammer out a long-term deal, the Bengals will use the tag prior to its deadline and continue extension talks throughout the summer. Injuries hampered Higgins season, but he had a strong finish to the year. His best game came in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a 5-catch, 140-yard and 1-touchdown performance in a 34-11 loss, highlighted by an 80-yard score to open up the second half.
Higgins finished 2023 with 42 receptions, 656 yards and 5 touchdowns. They’re a far cry from his last two years, registering over 70 receptions, 1,000 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2021 and 2022. The Bengals’ second round pick in 2020, Higgins has proven to be an excellent complement to WR Ja’Marr Chase in high-powered offenses when QB Joe Burrow was healthy.
Perhaps the largest issue with extending Higgins is the knowledge the meter is running on Chase, who could become the NFL’s highest-paid receiver. Of course, extending Higgins will also reduce his 2024 cap charge, making an extension for Chase more manageable in the short-term.
With Burrow returning healthy in 2023 and Tee Higgins essentially guaranteed back, the Bengals will try to retake the AFC North crown. In a highly-competitive division, they finished fourth after winning the North in 2021 and 2022. For Cincinnati, there’s been no in-between. Dating back to 2018, they’ve either come in first (twice) or last place (four times). With Higgins back in the fold, they’ll boost their odds of being on top.
