After much negotiation, the Bengals have finally agreed to sign an anticipated $150 million Pro Bowl super phenomenal player from…
Tee Higgins is probably going to return to Cincinnati in 2024. If the two parties cannot come to an agreement on a long-term extension, The Athletic reports that the Bengals will likely franchise tag their star receiver before he enters free agency. Higgins, who would earn $20.7 million for the next season if tagged, has until March 5th, 2019 for the Bengals to make a move.
The analysis suggests that Higgins’s tagging is inevitable and should happen sooner rather than later. The Bengals would therefore have two realistic alternatives going forward with regard to Higgins. If the Bengals tag Higgins early, other teams could make tag-and-trade proposals; however, this would imply that the team is willing to deal up Higgins, which is doubtful. The more likely scenario is that the wideout will be tagged if a long-term agreement is not reached by the July 15 deadline, and the two sides will continue to work toward reaching that deadline.
A year after tagging a player, the Bengals have historically severed ways with that player. This was the situation with safety Jessie Bates III in 2022 and wideout A.J. Green in 2020.
Will Higgins do likewise? Since he hasn’t even been tagged for the next season yet, it’s difficult to determine. Assuming Higgins is tagged, a lot can happen in the interim before the season begins. The Bengals’ desire to commit to both Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, who is about to reach the last year of his rookie contract, will be a major factor.
The team will pick up Chase’s fifth-year option this offseason, and he will undoubtedly sign a long-term contract the following year. With his output, Chase is going to be one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL when he signs a contract. Joe Burrow, the NFL’s highest-paid athlete, signed a contract with the Bengals before to the start of the previous campaign.
Considering the current market, Higgins’s yearly earnings should not exceed $20 million. Should the Bengals decide to re-sign Higgins, they would be spending at least $45 million a year on two receivers, assuming Chase signs a contract that pays him at least $25 million a season. That amounts to almost 19% of the wage cap for the franchise, assuming that in 2025 the cap is at least $240 million (it ought to be higher).
The Bengals have enough cash to complete both transactions. Once more, it all boils down to their want to spend on two receivers. In addition to the fact that Higgins and Chase are both worth their money, the Bengals’ current Super Bowl window may force them to offer both players long-term contracts.
The Chiefs have made it to the Super Bowl four times in the last five years, not all five. This is largely due to Cincinnati. Burrow and his top two receivers have played a major role in the Bengals’ success over the last few years. LVI of the Super Bowl was no different. Chase recorded five receptions for 89 yards, including the longest play of the game, a 46-yard reception that set up the Bengals’ opening touchdown. With 100 receiving yards and two touchdown throws from Burrow, Higgins topped both teams.
In 2022, Higgins produced his second consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season, capping off an incredible Super Bowl run. Despite being limited by injury in the previous season, Higgins shown that, when well, he is a premier wide receiver. In Cincinnati’s victory over Minnesota in Week 14, he scored two touchdown catches. In the following week’s defeat to Pittsburgh, he had a season-high 140 yards and a touchdown.
The Bengals seem to want to retain Higgins in Cincinnati for a very long time. However, it seems like they are OK with the tag for the time being, giving them more time to work out a long-term agreement.
Bengals general manager Duke Tobin recently stated, “I want Tee Higgins back,” according to the team’s official website. All members of our team are in favor of Tee Higgins’ return. There’s a pie, and because of it, there are things we can and cannot do. We’ll see.
