Tee Higgins

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has not signed his franchise-tag contract tender and is not expected to by next week, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

If Higgins does not sign the tender by next week, he will be ineligible to participate in the Bengals' organized team activities. He cannot be with the team until he signs the franchise tag.

The report comes amid frustration from Higgins over the franchise tag the Bengals placed on him at the beginning of the offseason. Just weeks after he was given the tag, Higgins requested a trade, though the Bengals reportedly have "no plans" of dealing him to another team.

Had he not been franchise-tagged, Higgins would have entered free agency this offseason. Instead, he will make $21.8 million this season if he remains in Cincinnati.

While he has been frustrated over the franchise tag, Higgins said in April that he expects to be with the Bengals in 2024. How the two sides will work things out remains the question.

After back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard seasons, Higgins had just 656 yards and five touchdowns last season while limited to just 12 games with injuries. The Clemson product has shown plenty of potential and when healthy can be a nightmare defensively.

The offensive core of Joe Burrow and receivers Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in 2021 and the group seems capable of more success, but this offseason could throw a wrench in Cincinnati's plans.

A pair of star wide receivers are not expected to be with their respective teams at the start of OTAs due to their contract situations.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb will both be absent.

Higgins previously requested a trade from the Bengals after he received a franchise tag, while Lamb is set to enter the final year of his contract after Dallas picked up his fifth-year option.

Lamb also did not participate in the Cowboys' voluntary offseason workouts as he awaited a new deal. Dallas has been patient when dealing with extensions for key contributors such as Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Dak Prescott.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones mentioned that the team would be taking things slowly in long-term contract discussions when speaking to reporters ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

"We'd like to see more leaves fall," Jones said, per Patrik Walker of the team's official website. "We'd like to see more action. It's called option quarterback. I've spent my life [playing] option quarterback. I want to see some more cards played."

Lamb is coming off a career year in 2023, setting multiple single-season franchise records with 135 catches for 1,749 yards. His production has steadily increased in each year since he was drafted in 2020, earning three Pro Bowl nods.

As for Higgins, his frustration stems from a lack of communication regarding a new contract as well as the franchise tag designation. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on March 11 that the 25-year-old "hoped to be with the team long term" but was disappointed that the front office had not entered discussions regarding a long-term deal "since March 2023."

With other receivers earning lucrative extensions in the 2024 offseason such as Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions and A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles, Lamb and Higgins are reportedly prepared to skip OTAs as they search for new contracts of their own.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins remains less than enthused about the lack of movement following his trade request, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

During Wednesday's edition of NFL Live (via Awful Announcing), Schefter affirmed that Higgins is "pissed" when colleague Marcus Spears speculated as much.

That followed a discussion between Schefter and Dan Orlovsky about whether the fifth-year pass-catcher could make a "business decision" midway through the 2024 season to preserve his health.

The Bengals applied the franchise tag to Higgins in February, which will guarantee him $21.8 million. Given the extent to which the receiver market is booming, you can't blame the 25-year-old for seeking a bigger payday.

When it comes to ongoing negotiations, it doesn't appear Cincinnati is willing to meet Higgins halfway or anywhere in between.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway reported in April the 2020 second-round pick was looking to get a contract that broadly aligns with the three-year, $70 million pact Michael Pittman Jr. signed with the Indianapolis Colts. The Bengals haven't come close to that figure, though.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN also reported in April the team has signaled it has "no plans" of trading Higgins, which aligns with how the front office and ownership have approached similar situations in the past.

Jessie Bates III played out the 2022 season on the franchise tag before leaving as a free agent. Jonah Williams also had to take back his trade request when it became clear Cincinnati wasn't moving him last offseason.

Higgins has said publicly he expects to suit up for the Bengals. At the end of the day, he stands to lose too much by actually sitting out an entire year.

But Schefter raised an important point about how Higgins' lingering discontent might manifest down the road.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow publicly supported teammates Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson in their efforts to secure longer-term and more lucrative deals by making trade requests.

"Those guys have their business they need to take care of. I support them in every way," Burrow told Cincinnati media in a Tuesday press conference (h/t Bengals senior writer Geoff Hobson).

"Both those guys have earned everything that has come to them and more. I'll support them all the way through it. Whatever they feel like is best for their career. That's for them and their agents and their families to decide.

"But we are here to win football games. I really hope both those guys are here next year because we are a better football team with both of them. They are both great locker room guys, too. They are going to do what they've got to do, but when the time comes for them to come back, if that time comes, we are going to welcome them back and hit our stride."

The franchise-tagged Higgins previously told reporters in April that he still anticipates playing in Cincinnati in 2024 while also expressing his love for the city and team. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in March that Higgins is disappointed his camp and the team haven't had long-term contract discussions since March 2023.

Hendrickson, who has two years left on a four-year, $60 million deal, wants a better commitment from the team, per his agent Harold Lewis to ESPN's Ben Baby.

"Our No. 1 goal is to get a long-term commitment from them," Lewis said on April 24. "If we can't, then we're asking for a trade. And hopefully if he gets traded, that's what we do -- get a long-term commitment with somewhere else."

It's clear why Burrow would love to have both players back. Higgins and Hendrickson have been instrumental figures on the team this decade, most especially during a fantastic two-year run (2021, 2022) that saw the Bengals reach two AFC Championship Games and win one.

The 25-year-old Higgins has two 1,000-yard seasons in his four NFL campaigns. Last year served as something of a setback because of a hamstring injury, but he still managed 42 catches for 656 yards and five scores in 12 games. He and the Bengals can still come to a long-term agreement by July 15 to avoid Higgins playing on the tag in 2024.

Hendrickson, 29, has outplayed his contract. He's made the Pro Bowl each of the last three years, amassing 39.5 sacks as a Bengal since he joined the team in 2021 following four years with the New Orleans Saints. Last year was his best yet with 17.5 sacks.

We'll see what comes to fruition in Cincinnati, but as of now, both players remain Bengals as the team looks to improve upon a disappointing 8-9 campaign in which Burrow missed seven games with a season-ending wrist injury.

Chad Johnson is not worried about the contract impasse between Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The former Bengals star spoke to TMZ and said he's confident the two sides will reach a deal after talking to Higgins.

"I think we're going to work it out. We'll figure it out. ... It's business—it's the nature of the business. He's going to be all right, though," Johnson said.

The Bengals used their franchise tag on Higgins in March, and there has seemingly been no progress on a long-term contract. Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Cincinnati's initial offer to Higgins did not even top $20 million per season.

Higgins is slated to $21.8 million in 2024 on the franchise tag. There are currently 18 receivers who make at least $20 million per season, and Higgins almost certainly wants to become the 19th.

Higgins said he does expect to play for the Bengals this season even if there is no new contract.

"I do anticipate it," Higgins told WLWT last month. "I've grown a love for Cincy that I didn't think I would, but, you know, man, looking forward to it."

Higgins recorded career lows in receptions (42), receiving yards (656) and receiving touchdowns (5) while being limited to 12 games due to injury last season.

Tee Higgins' future with the Cincinnati Bengals is still up in the air as he approaches the final season of his current contract, and he reportedly eyed Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman as a comparison point.

Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on the Higgins situation Monday and noted the wideout "never requested to become the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL." Instead, he wanted something resembling the three-year, $70 million deal Pittman inked with the Colts.

Yet Conway noted Cincinnati "never approached" an average annual value of $20 million during discussions with Higgins.

As of now, Higgins is slated to play the upcoming campaign on the franchise tag. The two sides have until July 15 to agree on a long-term deal, but they haven't even "advanced to the next round of conversations which would have been about guaranteed money."

The Clemson product requested a trade in March as negotiations stalled, but all indications are Cincinnati does not plan to trade him and is instead focused on a potential Super Bowl run with a healthy Joe Burrow back under center in 2024.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last month that "Higgins loves Cincinnati and hoped to be with the team long term, but is disappointed that the team has not had any talks about a long-term contract extension since March 2023. He's ready to move on to a new home."

That means another team may have the opportunity to sign a high-ceiling pass-catcher who is just 25 years old next offseason.

He posted back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2021 and 2022, helping lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl during that first year. However, he dealt with injury concerns last season and saw his numbers drop to 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns.

The Pittman comparison makes sense, as he is a similar age at 26 years old with two seasons of more than 1,000 receiving yards. Yet Cincinnati didn't look to give him a similar contract.

There are plenty of teams that would love to have Higgins even with a somewhat disappointing 2023, and they will likely have the chance to sign him next offseason if he and the Bengals don't make some surprising progress in negotiations with the wide receiver.