Bengals Beat: No Surprise, Bengals Let Tee Higgins Know He’ll Be Tagged, Extension Still A Possibility As NFL Cap Increases $30 Million

CINCINNATI — Step one was always going to happen in the Tee Higgins offseason saga.

That step was taken Friday when Ian Rapoport reported that the Bengals have informed the Bengals star receiver that they will use the franchise tag on him this offseason to protect their interests in a critical piece of their offense.

Now, the question remains, what next?

Do the Bengals continue to see a contract extension with him through the difficult and demanding agent David Mulugheta of Athletes First?

Do they pursue trade options leading up to free agency in March and the draft in late April?

Or do they just ride it out, take the fully guaranteed $21.8 million cap/salary hit on Higgins for one season and run it back for one more year of Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins and Joe Burrow, assuming Burrow is ready to go full strength in 2024?

There’s real reason to believe Higgins isn’t heading anywhere this offseason.

The Bengals know his value as an elite receiver in a pass-dominated offense with Joe Burrow as the franchise quarterback. Duke Tobin said that during the 2023 NFL Combine and there’s no reason to believe that attitude has changed.

Higgins becomes the first player tagged in the NFL this offseason and both sides have until mid-July to get a long-term deal done, otherwise Higgins will be set to play on the one-year tender.

Higgins showed his toughness this past season, playing through a fractured rib and hamstring and ankle injuries this past season to catch 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. Higgins went over 1,000 yards receiving in both ’21 (1,091) and ’22 (1,029).

With the exclusive franchise tag, players cannot negotiate with other teams. Teams must offer the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position during the current year, or 120 percent of that player’s previous salary.

There’s little doubt that signing Higgins will take an overall number of nine figures, with a length of at least four years. The trick is – if the Bengals are so inclined – working that out with Joe Burrow’s contract and a Ja’Marr Chase deal on the horizon. The increase of $30 million in cap space obviously helps in this regard.

How much will the Bengals want to take advantage of that?

Taken with the first pick after Joe Burrow in the 2020 draft, Higgins has proven a dependable target for Burrow in his first four seasons. With three-time Pro Bowler Ja’Marr Chase lined up on the other side, the Bengals offense rose in explosive plays in 2021 and ’22, narrowly missing out on capturing Super Bowl LVI at the end of the ’21 season.

The NFL franchise tag deadline is March 5, at 4 p.m. ET. The franchise tag window opened on February 20. So, the Bengals are taking care of this matter now. It is the single-biggest issue facing the roster build for 2024 because they need to bring as much certainty to financial calculus as possible and tagging Higgins accomplishes exactly that.

The Bengals and the other 31 NFL teams got word Friday that the team salary cap will come in at $255.4 million for 2024, allowing for an unprecedented $30-plus million rise over last season’s cap, which came in at $224.8 million.

This alone give the Bengals reason to just keep Higgins and not move him this season, unless of course a team is willing to bowl them over with an offer they can’t refuse. There’s little doubt that would include a first-round pick (second round, at worst) and a young starting-caliber player under control for 1-2 years.