Tee Higgins

Tee Higgins will play the 2024 season under the franchise tag with the Cincinnati Bengals, and he was honest about his future prospects with the organziation.

"This could be the last ride for me and the guys," he told the team's website. "You never know. Instead of holding out and waiting and just watching from afar, I'd rather be in the mix with the guys and grind it out with them. That's how I've always been."

Higgins, 25, never got the long-term extension he was seeking from the Bengals this offseason or the trade he reportedly requested. Whether such an extension will ever happen remains to be seen, but with Joe Burrow making huge money and Ja'Marr Chase likely to receive a Justin Jefferson-esque extension at some point, the Bengals may not be able to pay Higgins market value while retaining financial flexibility to fill out the rest of the roster.

If he does hit free agency in 2025, he'll be one of the top players on the market. While injuries limited him to just 12 games last season, he posted 1,000-yard campaigns in both 2021 and 2022.

The Bengals didn't want to lose him in 2024 as they seek a Super Bowl title. Higgins shares that short-term goal.

"I had time to reflect and think. I had long talks with my agent. A lot of back and forth about what I wanted to do," he said. "I just made the decision to sign the tag. At the end of the day, I just wanted to come out here and try to win a Super Bowl. I'm happy with the decision I made. I'm here for the Bengals for the 2024 season. I'm ready to get it done and get with my guys."

The Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Tee Higgins failed to reach a long-term deal before Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, meaning he will play the 2024-25 season on a one-year franchise tag, per ESPN's Ben Baby.

Higgins will earn $21.8 million this season from his franchise tender.

Higgins won't be able to sign an extension with the Bengals until after the regular-season finale. Following the end of the season, Higgins will have the opportunity to try to land a new deal in Cincinnati or explore free agency, though the team could also opt to use the franchise tag for the second straight year.

Since the Bengals placed a franchise tag on Higgins in February, the wide receiver has given mixed signals about his intentions. Just a few weeks after he was given a franchise tag, he reportedly requested a trade, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Just a month later, though, Higgins said he anticipated playing for the Bengals in 2024 and that he was "looking forward to it." In June, he officially signed the franchise tag tender.

While Higgins didn't receive the long-term deal he was searching for this offseason, he has a chance to prove himself worthy of one with a strong season this year. He took a step back in 2023 after back-to-back seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards, recording just 656 yards and five touchdowns—both career lows—as he was limited to 12 games because of injuries.

At 25 years old, he's more than capable of getting back on track in what has been a strong start to his NFL career.

Higgins will also look to help the Bengals bounce back after a disappointing 9-8 season a year ago, a season that saw quarterback Joe Burrow limited to just 10 games due to a wrist injury. Cincinnati is just two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance and brings back much of the same roster in 2024.

With Higgins playing alongside star receiver Ja'Marr Chase and catching passes from Burrow, the Bengals should find themselves back in the postseason mix if they can avoid injuries.

The NFL's 2024 deadline for teams to extend franchise-tagged players will pass at 4 p.m. ET on Monday. Interestingly, this year's deadline is only relevant for the Cincinnati Bengals and standout receiver Tee Higgins.

Higgins remains the only franchise-tagged player who has not already received an extension. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the 25-year-old won't be getting one this season:

Playing on the franchise tag isn't the outcome for which Higgins had hoped. He initially requested a trade but eventually sign his one-year tender. At the time, he sounded interested in continuing his relationship with the Bengals beyond 2024.

"I've grown a love for Cincinnati that I didn't think I would. [I'm] looking forward to it," Higgins told reporters in April.

However, the Bengals haven't seemed as interested in locking up Higgins long-term. ESPN's Ben Baby reported in May that Higgins and Cincinnati hadn't discussed an extension in over a year.

Tagging Higgins without then extending him was a calculated risk by the Bengals, but it's one that makes plenty of sense. On one hand, they run the risk of losing the two-time 1,000-yard receiver in 2025 free agency for nothing more than a potential compensation pick. On the other, they head into 2024 with options on how to handle his future.

Cincinnati's biggest obstacle in keeping Higgins is the presence of No. 1 receiver Ja'Marr Chase. He became extension-eligible this offseason and could easily justify matching Justin Jefferson's new market-leading contract worth $35 million annually.

In only three seasons, Chase has racked up 3,717 receiving yards, 29 touchdowns and three Pro Bowls.

Paying both Chase and Higgins on long-term contracts will be a financial challenge, especially with Cincinnati also paying quarterback Joe Burrow a market-topping contract. The Bengals are projected to be a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of 2025 cap space with $49.1 million available.

However, it could be doable, and the Bengals need to first figure out how much they're going to be paying Chase in the foreseeable future. They'll then know what sort of an offer they can make Higgins between the end of the season and the start of 2025 free agency.

Extending Higgins first might have made it extremely difficult for the Bengals to give Chase the contract he wants—they probably should have moved on Chase's deal before Jefferson put pen to paper, but that's another conversation.

Allowing Higgins to play on the tag will also give Cincinnati a chance to evaluate whether keeping both him and Chase is a critical need. Higgins is expected to serve as the No. 2 receiver this season, but the Bengals will get an opportunity to see how players like rookie receiver Jermaine Burton and free-agent tight end Mike Gesicki fit into the equation.

Gesicki appears set to spend a fair amount of time as Cincinnati's slot receiver, a role previously held by departed receiver Tyler Boyd.

"Gesicki, that's a big slot receiver," cornerback Mike Hilton said, per Geoff Hobson of the team's official website. "So you get that 11 look. We know he can play on the line, But when he makes his money, he's split out getting those matchups."

If Burton and Gesicki flash enough potential this season, the Bengals may decide that keeping Higgins at a market price—likely in the $23 million annual range that Calvin Ridley got this offseason—isn't worth it.

And while the best chance to maximize Higgins' trade value would have been before the 2024 draft, Cincinnati can still gauge his trade value between now and the November 5 trade deadline.

Of course, by not acquiescing to Higgins' initial trade demands, the Bengals also ensure that their second-best pass-catcher will be on the field as Burrow looks to make his way back from a season-ending wrist injury. Cincinnati is hoping that a healthy Burrow will put it back in Super Bowl contention. Having Higgins along for the ride will certainly help.

The Bengals made the right move with Higgins as it pertains to the 2024 season, and they still have options when it comes to his future. For now, those options just don't include extending him ahead of Week 1.

The Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Tee Higgins won't make a breakthrough at the eleventh hour on a multiyear contract, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport reported, with Monday's deadline to strike a bargain fast approaching, that Higgins will play out the 2024 NFL season on his franchise tender.

This is where things have been headed for some time.

The Bengals drew a line in the sand with safety Jessie Bates III in 2022. He spent that year on the franchise tag and then bolted on a four-year, $64 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons at his earliest opportunity.

Cincinnati followed the same playbook here.

ESPN's Ben Baby reported in May that "Higgins and the Bengals haven't had negotiations for a new contract in more than a year." Before that, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported the team had "made clear behind the scenes they have no plans to trade Higgins."

The 6'4" pass-catcher requested a trade earlier in the offseason, but that didn't change the fact Cincinnati held all of the cards once it applied the franchise tag to him. He had too much to lose by refusing to sign it and risk missing an entire season.

Higgins finally put pen to paper in June, guaranteeing himself a $21.8 million salary for 2024.

This is clearly a suboptimal situation for the 25-year-old with the receiver market currently surging. Spotrac pegs his market value at $19.7 million annually, and that's probably below what he'd earn in free agency when the Philadelphia Eagles' DeVonta Smith and Houston Texans' Nico Collins both got $24-plus million on extensions.

Still, Higgins will have to wait another year until he can cash in with the kind of payday he believes he deserves. As long as he remains healthy — and with Joe Burrow back at quarterback for Cincy — that should be the outcome next spring.

Wide receiver Tee Higgins is reportedly "unlikely" to get a long-term contract with the Cincinnati Bengals after he signed his franchise tag tender last week, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"My understanding of the situation is it is considered unlikely that Tee Higgins will end up getting the long-term extension that he wants," Rapoport said.

Higgins previously missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp while holding out for an extension, but never received and signed his one-year franchise tag worth $21.8 million. He will be a free agent next offseason.

Higgins also reportedly requested a trade after the Bengals decided to franchise tag him, though he also said that he'd "love to come back" to Cincinnati shortly a few weeks after that report.

Whether Higgins will be looking for an extension with the Bengals or a contract with a new team next year is unclear, but he will be searching for the long-term deal he wasn't awarded this offseason.

While Higgins didn't get the extension that he was hoping for with Cincinnati this offseason, he's likely due for a big contract if he can perform well during the 2024 season. He had just 656 receiving yards and five touchdowns while limited to 12 games, but after back-to-back seasons of 1,000+ yards, it seems he could get to that level again this year.

The wide receiver market has led to a handful of lucrative deals this offseason, like Justin Jefferson's four-year, $140 million extension and Amon-Ra St. Brown's four-year, $120 million extension. That trend of paying wide receivers is likely to continue into next offseason, and that could work out well for Higgins.

The Cincinnati Bengals "are trying to budget for" wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and "want to prioritize him" amid the lingering uncertainty over Tee Higgins' long-term future, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter the Bengals want to keep Chase alongside quarterback Joe Burrow for the long haul. As a result, Cincinnati would effectively choose him over fellow wideout Higgins.

There might have been a point in the past when the Bengals could've afforded to pay both Chase and Higgins at their market rates while Burrow simultaneously earns the highest average salary in the NFL. That simply isn't feasible anymore thanks to the soaring cost for proven receivers.

Spotrac pegs the value of Chase and Higgins at $30.5 million and $19.7 million respectively, and neither figure probably fully reflects what they'd earn on new contracts.

If you're forced to choose between the two, then Chase is the superior option. Through three seasons, he has 3,717 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns. His 82.6 yards per game are the fourth-most in NFL history, to provide further context behind his production.

At $35 million annually, the Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson is the highest-paid wideout, and Chase could feasibly surpass that figure once he signs a multiyear extension.

The way in which the Bengals have handled Higgins' negotiations makes their preference clear. Fowler reported that "talks as of late are all but nonexistent," which is a common theme.

That's not really the way a team handles a player it envisions keeping around.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Saturday that Higgins signed his one-year franchise tender, which guarantees him $21.8 million for the 2024 season. Beyond that, Cincinnati appears content to let him leave and watch another team pay him the kind of contract he's ultimately seeking.

Long-term contract negotiations between the Cincinnati Bengals and Tee Higgins are reportedly "nonexistent" despite the wideout recently signing his franchise tag.

"Higgins, highly unlikely he gets a long-term deal. I was told that talks as of late are all but non-existent," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter. "So, they talked before, made an offer and didn't come to any sort of agreement. It's been pretty quiet. And so, Higgins is in a situation now where he's all but relenting that, 'I'm going to play on a one-year deal with the Bengals and then I'm going to go kill it in free agency in 2025.'

He is not likely to be franchise tagged that next year because that would be a huge number and the Bengals are trying to budget for No. 1 Ja'Marr Chase, who some believe is the best receiver in the NFL next to Justin Jefferson. And so, they want to prioritize him; Burrow, Chase together long-term. It's complicated though because Chase has two years left on his rookie contract and they don't have to do it right now. The market is huge as we're seeing $30-plus million for some of these receivers but the Bengals are going to try to shake this out and see what they can come to an agreement with. At least Higgins is in the fold, he's signed. It was a bit of a surprise that he even signed this early. Some thought he would maybe wait until mid, late August, drag this out. But here he is, he's in the fold.

Higgins will make $21.8 million next season under the tag. He held out throughout the Bengals' offseason program but will be required to attend training camp after signing the tender.

The 2020 second-round pick is coming off the worst season of his NFL career. Higgins recorded 42 receptions for 656 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, spending much of the season struggling with injuries.

The Bengals seemingly have every intention of using the tag on Higgins for next season before allowing him to walk in free agency in 2025. Ja'Marr Chase is due a massive long-term extension that will undoubtedly top $30 million per season. It's likely Chase will look to at least match the four-year, $140 million extension signed by Justin Jefferson this offseason.

While Cincinnati can wait another year to ink that deal with Chase's fifth-year option coming in 2025, the idea of carrying Chase, Higgins and Joe Burrow on the roster is borderline impossible if the team wants to build elsewhere.

Burrow is tied for the NFL's highest-paid quarterback at $55 million per season. With his cap number set to rise to $46.3 million, the cap crunch is going to come somewhere.

Barring another injury-plagued season, Higgins should find a robust free-agent market next offseason. He doesn't turn 26 until January and already has two 1,000-yard seasons under his belt despite serving as a WR2 behind Chase.

The Tennessee Titans lavished Calvin Ridley with a four-year, $92 million deal in March despite him being near his 30th birthday and only a year removed from a yearlong suspension for violating the NFL's gambling policy. Odds are a bounce-back year will result in a nine-figure deal for Higgins.

Many NFL fans expressed their belief Saturday on social media that a major move could be coming with regard to Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Higgins will sign his franchise tender Saturday, but several fans took to X to suggest that it could be a move that sets the stage for a trade:

Schefter reported back in March that Higgins had requested a trade after he and the Bengals failed to agree to a long-term deal, but when asked in April if he expected to play for Cincinnati in 2024, Higgins said, "I do anticipate it."

After the Bengals selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, they immediately got him a talented target in Higgins with the first pick of the second round in that same draft.

As a rookie, Higgins caught 67 passes and led the team with 908 yards and six touchdowns, and he elevated his game even more over the next two seasons.

The Bengals took wideout Ja'Marr Chase fifth overall in the 2021 NFL draft, which took some of the defensive attention away from Higgins and allowed him to thrive in one-on-one situations with his 6'4" frame.

As Burrow's No. 2 target, Higgins had virtually identical seasons in 2021 and 2022, recording 74 receptions for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns, followed by 74 catches for 1,029 yards and seven touchdowns.

Higgins also played a significant role in the Bengals reaching the Super Bowl in 2021, racking up 18 grabs for 309 yards and two scores in four playoff games.

While Higgins was as consistent as any receiver in the NFL over his first three seasons, he struggled to what was by far his worst campaign to date in 2023.

Injuries caused Higgins to miss five games, and he was also limited in a couple of others, resulting in career lows across the board with 42 receptions for 656 yards and five touchdowns.

It also didn't help that Burrow missed seven games with a wrist injury, although Jake Browning performed admirably in his absence.

Despite his down year, Higgins will play at a salary of $21.816 million in 2024 under the franchise tag, and if he remains with the Bengals, a bounce-back year statistically could land him a huge deal in free agency next offseason.

The Bengals have until July 15 to sign Higgins to a long-term contract, but if that doesn't happen, he will have to play under the tag in 2024.

Given that they lost veteran receiver Tyler Boyd to the Tennessee Titans in free agency, the Bengals can ill afford to be without Higgins this season as well.

They did select Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft, but that felt like a pick meant to potentially replace Higgins in 2025 and beyond rather than in 2024.

Provided Higgins isn't dealt, there will be a sense of urgency for the Bengals to win a Super Bowl this season since it could be the final year that the trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins is together.