Bengals to apply Tee Higgins’ franchise tag as a wide receiver

The Bengals will keep one of manager Joe Burrow’s favorite targets in Cincy for the 2024 season.

Cincinnati plans to use the franchise tag on star wide receiver Tee Higgins, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday, citing sources. Rapoport added that Higgins’ franchise tag is expected to be around $21.8 million, which is fully guaranteed.

Higgins became the franchise’s first tag team player this offseason. The Bengals and Higgins need to reach a long-term deal before the franchise tag deadline.

Higgins proved to be a reliable option below center for the Bengals in 11 games as star players battled injuries during the 2023 season. Higgins had 42 receptions for 656 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Higgins battled broken ribs, a hamstring injury and an ankle injury last season. The 2020 second-round pick has proven to be a reliable target for Burrow in his first four seasons. On the other side was three-time Pro Bowler Ja’Marr Chase, and the trio showed how deadly Cincy’s offense can be when everyone is on the field.

The Bengals had a historic season in 2021. The team won the AFC North for the first time since 2015, defeated the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, and qualified for Super Bowl LVI. Unfortunately, the Bengals fell short in the final minutes of the game against the Rams, but they showed how well they drafted young players like Burrow, Chase, Joe Mixon, and Higgins.

The season did not go as the Bengals had hoped, but Cincy finished in fourth place in the division with his 9-8 record. Head coach Zac Taylor has batted over .500 for the third straight season despite injuries to key players on the offensive line. Burrow was sidelined in November due to torn ligaments in his right wrist. Jake Browning finished the rest of the season 4-3 as a starter. In Week 16 against the Steelers, with Browning as the starter, Higgins had a season-high 140 receiving yards.

In late January, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said he wanted Higgins back, and now Cincy is one step closer to their goal of keeping their young, talented core intact for next season. .

Now Higgins and Tobin want to arrive at a mutually acceptable number that works for both parties.