Tee Higgins gets given the franchise tag by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ohio’s Loveland The Cincinnati Bengals placed wide receiver Tee Higgins under the franchise tag this past weekend, as was widely anticipated. I’ve already spoken about what the franchise tag may mean for Tee and the club in the future, but the Bengals’ early offseason usage of the tag raises some intriguing questions about what might happen in the future.
Tee Higgins is quite likely to stay with this squad for at least another season given his franchise tag. But as recently as a few days ago, rumors circulated that Higgins would be wearing orange and black for a number of years if an agreement was reached by all parties. However, the fact that the group chose to resort right away
In the worst-case scenario, Tee refuses to report and play under the terms of his guaranteed one-year contract, and the two parties are unable to come to an agreement. However, there is also hope that by exercising the franchise tag, both parties will be able to carry on their negotiations and reach a mutually beneficial pact.
There is much reason to be concerned about how poorly the discussions may be going given that the franchise tag was applied so early in the offseason. However, it is difficult to witness a player with Tee Higgins’ level of commitment choose to forego playing for the full 2024 season in order to sit out only because he was not awarded a contract.
The Bengals need a reliable backup to Ja’Marr Chase and have an abundance of contract money. With Tee on the team for an additional year, they will have greater flexibility to manage the team and give the Bengals the best opportunity to return to the Super Bowl.
The Bengals’ main priority right now should be to prepare Tee Higgins for at least one more season with the team in order to compete for a championship, even in the event that they are unable to provide him the multi-year contract he desires.
