Look: Cap Analyst Shares Tee Higgins Contract Projection Ahead of Free Agency

CINCINNATI — What will the Bengals do with Tee Higgins? Will they sign him to an extension? Will they place the franchise tag on him? Could they actually let him get to free agency?

Higgins would be the best free agent wide receiver on the market if he made it that far. The Bengals are expected to use the franchise tag on the 25-year-old, but what would a contract extension look like for Higgins? Could a long-term deal benefit both parties?

Salary cap expert Andre Perrotta believes a four-year, $95 million extension would make sense for both sides.

The deal would include $40 million full guaranteed. Instead of guaranteeing Higgins nearly $22 million on the franchise tag and eating into their 2024 cap space, the Bengals could sign him to a long-term deal to lower the cap hit this season to under $10 million.

Perotta's proposal pushes the bigger cap hits to the 2026 and 2027 seasons when the NFL salary cap will be higher.

The Bengals shouldn't let Higgins walk in free agency. Most people believe he's going to get tagged.

Will they surprise everyone and sign him to a long-term deal? If so, this gives everyone an idea of what that contract could look like.

Check out Perotta's complete proposal below:

Here's a Tee Higgins contract projection:

4yrs/$95M ($23.75M AAV)
$40M Fully GRTD at signing
$57.5M in Total guarantees

Annual Cap Hits & Cash Spends:

2024: $9.25M Cap; $28M Cash
2025: $20.25M Cap; $22M Cash
2026: $32.75M Cap; $22.5M Cash
2027: $32.75M Cap; $22.5M Cash

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— Andre Perrotta (@andreperrotta13) February 6, 2024