The Cincinnati Bengals have placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins ahead of his rookie deal with the team expiring.
The Bengals selected Higgins in the second round of the 2020 draft, and he has since become a key part of their offense.
In his first four seasons with the team, Higgins caught a total of 257 passes for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns, also catching two touchdown passes as they lost to the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LVI.
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However, Cincinnati were unable to agree a new long-term contract with Higgins ahead of the 2023 season, and he was set to hit free agency after only playing 12 games in an injury-hit campaign.
The Bengals front office faced a major decision over Higgins’ future this offseason, and they will retain the 25-year-old for at least one more year after designating him as their franchise player.
We have designated WR Tee Higgins as our franchise player
➡️https://t.co/XLt1nsu6pY pic.twitter.com/uVbeOSTC7R
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) February 26, 2024
Should the team fail to agree a new contract with Higgins before July 15, he will be tied into a one-year deal worth $21.82million, the league-wide franchise amount for wide receivers.
“Tee has done an outstanding job for us since we drafted him in 2020,” head coach Zac Taylor said in a statement released on the team’s website on Monday.
“I’m glad that he’ll continue to be a big part of our offense and our team.”
