Bengals WR Tee Higgins will be signing his franchise tag today, according to Ian Rapoport.
This is a big development for the Bengals. Higgins held out of OTA’s, but this indicates that he will be there for training camp. Of course, the expectation was always that he would eventually sign the tender and play for the Bengals this season. However, I don’t think that many would have expected him to sign this early.
Higgins was tagged back in March, but has wanted to work out a long term deal with the team. However, the two sides have been unable to agree to terms. The WR is looking for a big deal, and the Bengals are in a tough situation, considering that Ja’Marr Chase is set for an extension of his own. Chase is very clearly first priority, and paying two WR’s a large amount of money seems to be something the Bengals are unwilling, or at least unsure, about doing.
During free agency, the star WR requested a trade, but the Bengals expressed their unwillingness to deal him. While a trade is still possible, it is also very unlikely. Higgins will likely be starting opposite of Ja’Marr Chase on the outside this year while playing on the tag. And given how the market price for top tier WR’s continues to skyrocket, tagging He seems like it could very much be an option again next year, given the fixed price.
As for this season, Higgins will be making just a touch over $21.8M on a 1 year deal, unless a surprise extension is reached before the deadline in July.
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