The clock is ticking.
On Monday, a report surfaced that the Cincinnati Bengals were planning to use the franchise tag on Tee Higgins.
While the tag would ensure Higgins remains in Cincinnati for another year, it’s not what either side ultimately wants, as a long-term contract extension has been the No. 1 goal.
Now, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero says the Bengals are hopeful of hammering out a long-term deal without needing to use the tag. Pelissero added that it is likely the Bengals will tag Higgins by the March 4th deadline if a deal is not reached.
If Higgins were to be tagged, the Bengals would have until July 15th to sign him to an extension. After that, Higgins would be forced to play out the rest of 2025 under the tag and would not be eligible for a new contract until the 2026 offseason.
Higgins absolutely deserves to get his long-term deal ASAP, so it’s good to hear that the two sides will seemingly continue to negotiate until March 4th before the tag is used.
If Higgins were to be tagged again, he’d get $26.18 million for the 2025 season. Along with his 2024 tag number of $21.81 million, that equates to a two-year, fully-guaranteed $47.99 million contract.
Not bad, but still not the long-term security Higgins has rightfully earned, especially amid reports he’ll command $30 million+ annually on the open market.
Let’s hope both sides can hammer something out soon and put this to bed before the franchise tag needs to be utilized.
