Cincinnati Bengals have made their 1st important choice after the end of the campaign, placing the franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins.
Even after franchise tagging Tee Higgins, the Bengals are estimated to have over 50 million in available cap space for 2024 👀💸 pic.twitter.com/L3oLmpN8AF
— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) February 26, 2024
The decision means the organization will retain the wide receiver for at least one 1 more campaign. Should the 2 sides fail to negotiate a new long-term contract before mid-July, Tee will be restricted to a 1-year contract with the Bengals worth almost 22 million dollars, which is the NFL franchise tag amount for WRs this year.
The deadline for organizations to use the franchise or transition tag is March 5th.
Higgins, a 2nd round selection in 2020, was set to enter free agency after his rookie deal with the Bengals expired. In his 1st 4 campaigns in Cincinnati, Tee caught 257 passes for 3,684 yards and 24 TDs. In 7 playoff matches, he has 31 receptions for 457 yards and 3 TDs.
“Higgins has performed phenomenally for us since we selected him in 2020,” Cincinnati manager Zac Taylor shared. “I’m happy that he’ll continue to be a huge part of our offense and our organization.”