Bengals plan to place franchise tag on Tee Higgins for 2nd consecutive year, but eyeing long-term deal: Report

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins is expected to play under the franchise tag for the second consecutive season, SI.com reports. The tag will reportedly be the non-exclusive version, which means other teams could still offer him a contract that Cincinnati could either match or let him walk in exchange for first-round draft picks.

However, there does appear to be a difference in the team’s approach with Higgins for the upcoming season compared to last year. Unlike the previous contract stand-off with the five-year pro, the Bengals intend to sign Higgins to a long-term deal after tagging him, according to On SI’s James Rapien.

The two sides have from Feb. 18 to March 4 to negotiate a contract before deciding to apply the franchise tag.

The team also intends to sign receiver Ja’Marr Chase and pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to long-term deals, according to ESPN.

Higgins, 26, had 73 receptions (on 109 targets) for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns for Cincinnati last season. He was limited to 12 games (nine starts) due to hamstring, quad and ankle injuries.

In five seasons with the Bengals, Higgins has caught 330 passes for 4,595 yards and 34 touchdowns, providing a potent receiving threat for quarterback Joe Burrow alongside Chase, who is coming off a triple crown season where he led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs.

Both Burrow and Chase have been vocal in their support for bringing back Higgins and locking him down long-term.

Higgins, a 2020 second-round pick out of Clemson, also recently changed agents and is now represented by Rocky Arceneaux, who also represents Chase.

A franchise tag would guarantee Higgins a $26.18 million salary for 2025, the average of the five highest salaries from last season among wide receivers.

Last season, Higgins earned a $21.8 million salary under the franchise tag.