Franchise Tag Window Quickly Approaching, Bengals Must Make Decision About Tee Higgins

The Bengals star receiver is scheduled to become a free agent next month.

James Rapien | Feb 11, 2025

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) celebrate the win after overtime of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. The Bengals took a 30-24 win in overtime to remain in the post season chase. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has made it clear he wants the team to sign Tee Higgins to a long-term contract.

We'll see how serious they are about keeping the 26-year-old wide receiver later this month.

The Bengals tagged Higgins last season. Will they place the franchise tag on him again?

Cincinnati could tag Higgins for $26.17 million this season. That would give them more time to negotiate a long-term deal and prevent him from hitting the open market.

If Higgins gets to free agency, he's going to sign elsewhere. The money is simply too big for him to pass up.

He's easily the top free agent wide receiver and would likely get somewhere between $32 and $35 million per year from his next team.

The Steelers, Chargers, Titans, Patriots and Jaguars are all teams that would likely be interested in Higgins.

The franchise tag window opens on Tuesday, February 18 and lasts until Tuesday, March 4. That means the Bengals will have two weeks to make a decision on Higgins.

They used the tag on the star wide receiver early in the process last season. We'll see if they go that route again this year.

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Published Feb 11, 2025

JAMES RAPIEN

James Rapien is the publisher of Bengals On SI. He's also the host of the Locked on Bengals podcast and Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube. The Cincinnati native also wrote a book about the history of the Cincinnati Bengals called Enter The Jungle. Prior to joining Bengals On SI, Rapien worked at 700 WLW and ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati