Report: Bengals 'Stressing the Need' to Sign Tee Higgins to Long-Term Deal

The franchise tag deadline is Tuesday, March 4 at 4 p.m. ET.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) prepares to take the field for the first quarter 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. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals made it clear that they plan on signing Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson this offseason.

Higgins likely takes priority because he's set to become a free agent next month. Couple that with Tuesday's franchise tag deadline and it sounds like the Bengals are pushing to get a deal done with the 26-year-old.

"With the possibility of the franchise tag being placed on Tee Higgins, I was told Bengals decision-makers are stressing the need to get a long-term deal done with 26-year-old," Dianna Russini of The Athletic wrote on Saturday. "The organization has not informed Higgins’ side about whether he will be tagged before Tuesday’s deadline."

While league sources have confirmed the Bengals do plan to use the franchise tag on Higgins for a second-straight year if they're unable to reach a long-term deal by Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline, it makes sense for the team to push to get something done before that deadline.

"I want Tee Higgins. So I'm going to do what I can to get Tee Higgins," Bengals Director of Player Personnel DukeTobin said this week. "Our preference with Tee Higgins is to do a long-term agreement. Always has been. It continues to be. And we'll work hard to get that done."

If the Bengals do use the franchise tag on Higgins, they would have until July 15 to reach a long-term contract extension. Getting it done sooner would give them more flexibility in free agency.

Check out Russini's entire report here.

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