Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins could become a free agent when the new league year starts in March, but the team has two ways to keep that from happening.
They could sign him to a long-term deal or they could use a franchise tag to keep him from hitting the open market and extending the time to negotiate a new deal until mid-July. If no deal came before that point, Higgins would have the choice of sitting out or playing the 2024 season with a guaranteed salary that is projected to be $20.7 million.
Paul Dehner of TheAthletic.com reports that the team is expected to use the latter option and apply the franchise tag to Higgins. He notes that the team has the cap space to carry that salary in the 2024 season and that Joe Burrow’s cap number remains relatively low in 2024 before jumping up by nearly $20 million in 2025.
The overall makeup of the wide receiver market might also make it a plus for Higgins to wait on signing a multi-year deal. With receivers like Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk, Michael Pittman Jr., and fellow Bengal Ja’Marr Chase closing in on new deals, Higgins could benefit from a reset market by moving for a longer deal at some point in the future.
Any tags must be issued by March 5, so there will be clarity on the Bengals’ plans in the near future.