What Tee Higgins Signing Franchise Tag Means For Browns WR Amari Cooper

The ongoing standoff between the Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Tee Higgins has come to a close with news that the 25-year-old officially signed his franchise tag with this weekend.

It's the latest development in an ever-developing wide receiver market that has seen a number of notable pass-catchers sign massive contract extensions this offseason. The Cleveland Browns can relate. This past week saw top wideout Amari Cooper absent from mandatory minicamp due to his ongoing contract situation.

With Cooper enters the final year of his current deal with a base salary of $20 million, which feels like a bargain considering where the market is headed, he's now seen a handful of his peers earn big pay days.

This Steelers star sees a potential future in a #Browns uniform 👀 https://t.co/GBKL1KFJUl
— Browns Digest (@BrownsDigestFN) June 15, 2024

Lions No. 1 wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who signed a four-year, $120 million extension back in April, with $77 million guaranteed. A couple weeks back, Texans wide receiver Nico Collins followed suit, inking a three-year $72.75 million deal with $52 million guaranteed. Days later it was Jaylen Waddle's turn, who received a three-year, $84.75 million extension with $76 million guaranteed from the Dolphins.

Then came Justin Jefferson's four-year, $140 million deal with the Vikings, setting a new benchmark for wide receiver contracts. It's the largest non-QB contract in the NFL based on average annual value. It's also the deal that becomes a starting point for every wide receiver looking for a new deal moving forward.

Cooper certainly isn't going to get Jefferson money. In two days he'll turn 30, an age that has become a red flag across the NFL when it comes to handing out contract extensions. That makes Cooper's contract situation different from his contemporaries. It doesn't, however, change what Cooper and his representatives feel he's worth.

Nov 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) catches a touchdown pass as Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. (33) defends during the second quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports | Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The 10-year veteran is fresh off of a career best, 1,250-yard season, to go along with five touchdowns. He also became the first Browns wide receiver in franchise history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Despite entering his age 30 season he's proven to be one of the top wideouts in the game.

That brings us back to Higgins, who was considered one of the top wide receivers potentially available this offseason had he not been franchise tagged by Cincy. By signing the tag he's slated to make $21.8 million next season, which puts him ahead of Cooper in terms of average annual value for next season. It's another contract Cooper's representatives can reference in negotiations with the Browns.

Higgins is also playing the long-game. Having watched all those same receivers sign massive extensions he knows the ballooning cost of the position we'll set him up to earn even more money in 2025 if he produces in 2024.

At 30, Cooper can't necessarily afford to do that. He knows this very well may be his last chance for a big pay day, which makes it potentially more likely that his holdout lingers into training camp if he and the Browns can't come to terms on a new deal over the next month.

Along those lines, if the Browns do want to pay Cooper it behooves them to do it sooner rather than later anyway. If Cooper were to play out the final year of his deal and produce another 1,000-yard campaign the Browns would then have to consider forking over even more money for an even older wide receiver.

In the grand scheme of things, Higgins situation is much different than Cooper's. And the fact that he didn't ink a big extension that would only boost the wide receiver price tag exponentially is a win for Cleveland. Still, the Higgins situation highlights the fast changing reality of the wide receiver market. Putting some pressure on Cleveland to get a deal done this summer or risk leaving a massive hole at wide receiver next offseason.

How negotiations play out in the months leading up to the season will tell us a lot about how the Browns plans at the position moving forward.