Saturday, October 4, 2025
Submit Press Release
Got Action
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • NCAA
    • NCAA Football
    • NCAA Basketball
    • NCAA Baseball
    • NCAA Sport
  • Baseball
  • NFL
  • NBA
  • NHL
  • MLB
  • Formula 1
  • MMA
  • Boxing
  • Tennis
  • Golf
  • Sports Picks
  • Home
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • NCAA
    • NCAA Football
    • NCAA Basketball
    • NCAA Baseball
    • NCAA Sport
  • Baseball
  • NFL
  • NBA
  • NHL
  • MLB
  • Formula 1
  • MMA
  • Boxing
  • Tennis
  • Golf
  • Sports Picks
Got Action
No Result
View All Result

Bengals put franchise tag on Tee Higgins again; now what?

March 4, 2025
in NFL
0 0
0
Home NFL
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Ben BabyMar 3, 2025, 03:13 PM ET

CloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports.
He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs.
A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin sat in a mostly empty ballroom at the Westin in downtown Indianapolis recently and had a familiar conversation.

2nd tag yearPlayerDeal?2025Tee Higgins?2022Chris GodwinYes2022Cam RobinsonYes2021Brandon ScherffNo2021Dak PrescottYes2021Justin SimmonsYes2021Leonard WilliamsYes2019DeMarcus LawrenceYes

Yet again, the Bengals’ de facto GM was discussing wide receiver Tee Higgins’ long-term future with the team. For the past three offseasons, Cincinnati has had to make a big decision on one of its top offensive players. The decision made Monday is a familiar one for both sides of the negotiation.

The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins for the second straight year. It marks the latest development in a yearslong saga regarding Higgins and a potential long-term extension. Last year, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on an extension for the fifth-year receiver out of Clemson.

This year, the Bengals tagged Higgins again either as a short-term solution or as a placeholder for a more final resolution this offseason.

Higgins had a career-high 10 touchdown catches last season, and the Bengals were 8-4 in the 12 games he played in in 2024, compared with 1-4 in the five he missed. Since entering the league in 2020, Higgins has 34 receiving touchdowns, tied for the 14th most in the NFL. He’s one of nine players with at least five receiving TDs in each of the past five seasons.

Taking a closer look, Bengals reporter Ben Baby answers five big questions about the move, including how it might affect the prospective deals for receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson. National reporter Jeremy Fowler reveals what he’s hearing around the league.

In recent years, getting the franchise tag in consecutive seasons has usually led to a long-term deal. Six of the last seven players who were franchised in consecutive seasons signed a long-term deal afterward. Will Tee Higgins be next? Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire

How did the Bengals and Higgins get to this point?

This is the third year the Bengals and Higgins have battled over a long-term extension. After Higgins was tagged last year, he requested a trade in the hopes of landing a new deal. He ended up signing the tag, playing 12 games and, perhaps most notably, switched agents ahead of this year’s big negotiation, from David Mulugheta to Rocky Arceneaux and Caitlin Aoki of Alliance Sports Management. Arceneaux also represents Higgins’ teammate, Ja’Marr Chase, who also is pursuing an extension.

Higgins has been a very productive receiver when healthy. But with the window closing quickly, the Bengals opted to place the tag on Higgins, which leaves the team with a few options. — Baby

What will Higgins’ state of mind be after failing to receive an extension, and what recourse does he have in the situation?

To be clear, the two sides can still reach an agreement on an extension. That deadline isn’t until July 15. However, the fact the Bengals tagged Higgins isn’t a great sign.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

When Higgins got the tag last year, it was a sign to him that a new deal wasn’t coming. Higgins wanted to avoid the noise and the drama last year, which is why he accepted the tag well before training camp.

Higgins announced the latest tag himself with a four-character post Monday: “tag.” Even if the team said it wants to work toward a long-term deal, it is worth monitoring whether being tagged again increases Higgins’ frustration about his situation in Cincinnati in the coming weeks. — Baby

What are you hearing around the league?

The Bengals would like to sign Higgins to a long-term deal, so the franchise tag is a good placeholder for them — not to mention that the value of the tag, $26.1 million, is lower than his actual value in the wide receiver market.

People around the league are skeptical as to whether the Bengals can pay Chase, Higgins and Hendrickson, but they are going to try. Expect rival teams to try to entice Cincinnati with a potential trade package leading up to the draft, especially if a receiver-needy team such as New England doesn’t get what it needs in free agency. Cincinnati has a penchant for keeping good players instead of dealing them, however. — Fowler

What does this mean for Higgins’ future in Cincinnati?

The Bengals have always been very high on Higgins. Even amid all of the contract drama this year, Tobin expressed how his fondness for the 2020 second-round draft pick has evolved since the moment he was a Bengal.

What to know for the NFL free agency

• Tracking every move | Grades (ESPN+)• Ranking top 50 free agents (ESPN+)• Barnwell tiers (ESPN+): Off. | Def.• Free agent list | Franchise tags | More

“My opinion of Tee has not changed,” Tobin said. “He walked in the building, I’m like, ‘Yep, that’s what I thought he was. That’s what he is.'”

But if the Bengals can’t reach a long-term deal with Higgins, and the receiver doesn’t want to play on the franchise tag, then Cincinnati should strongly consider trading him for draft capital with the hopes of finding a potential replacement. — Baby

How big of a distraction might this become for Higgins and the team?

This could be a sizable distraction. Keep in mind that when Higgins signed his 2024 franchise tag before the start of training camp, he said part of the motivation was to avoid being in the headlines.

He has been beloved by teammates and virtually everyone inside the building over the past five years. That includes quarterback Joe Burrow, who has been very vocal about keeping Higgins in Cincinnati.

If the two sides can’t agree on a multiyear extension, managing the fallout with the franchise quarterback will be the biggest obstacle for Cincinnati’s front office to face. — Baby

Is Ja’Marr Chase’s deal up next, now that Higgins has received the tag? Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

What does this mean for Chase and Hendrickson deals?

For starters, this could give Chase greater leverage in his contract negotiation as he seeks to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, which is something Tobin said he hopes to accomplish.

With Higgins’ future uncertain, there is greater urgency to secure at least one long-term target for Burrow over the next few seasons. However, if the Bengals keep Higgins on the tag for the 2025 season, it will create less cap space for the team to sign Chase and Hendrickson because Higgins’ tag amount will count entirely on the upcoming cap.

Still, Cincinnati should have ample space to get something done with its two All-Pro players, especially with the cap rising to $279.2 million in 2025. — Baby



Source link

Tags: BengalsfranchiseHigginsPuttagtee
Previous Post

Bengals’ Tee Higgins has been franchise-tagged for the second consecutive season

Next Post

Antony tells Real Betis he wants to extend stay beyond loan

Related Posts

Cowboys to be down at least three offensive linemen vs. Jets
NFL

Cowboys to be down at least three offensive linemen vs. Jets

October 4, 2025
2025 NFL kickoffs: Rules change led to most returns in history
NFL

2025 NFL kickoffs: Rules change led to most returns in history

October 4, 2025
Arthur Jones, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens, dies at 39
NFL

Arthur Jones, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens, dies at 39

October 4, 2025
Joey Bosa not focused on injury concerns in new chapter with Bills
NFL

Joey Bosa not focused on injury concerns in new chapter with Bills

October 3, 2025
NFL Week 5 Power Rankings 2025: How all 32 teams stack up
NFL

NFL Week 5 Power Rankings 2025: How all 32 teams stack up

October 3, 2025
Rams vs. 49ers: Week 5 NFL game highlights
NFL

Rams vs. 49ers: Week 5 NFL game highlights

October 3, 2025
Next Post
Antony tells Real Betis he wants to extend stay beyond loan

Antony tells Real Betis he wants to extend stay beyond loan

EFL footballer appears in court and admits to causing death of cyclist

EFL footballer appears in court and admits to causing death of cyclist

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Away Attendances at the Weekend – 8th September 2025

Away Attendances at the Weekend – 8th September 2025

September 8, 2025
How to Buy COTA Tickets – 2025 United States Grand Prix

How to Buy COTA Tickets – 2025 United States Grand Prix

March 12, 2025
Is Max Verstappen in the mix to win the 2025 Drivers’ title?

Is Max Verstappen in the mix to win the 2025 Drivers’ title?

September 25, 2025
Marte, Steer power Cincinnati Reds over Pittsburgh, 14-8

Marte, Steer power Cincinnati Reds over Pittsburgh, 14-8

August 10, 2025
Arthur Jones, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens, dies at 39

Arthur Jones, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens, dies at 39

October 4, 2025
Fans urge Miami Heat to sign former MVP after Tyler Herro surgery news, ‘he’d immediately be the best player’

Fans urge Miami Heat to sign former MVP after Tyler Herro surgery news, ‘he’d immediately be the best player’

September 19, 2025
Anthony Davis could return to Mavericks’ lineup during upcoming Eastern road trip: Report

Anthony Davis could return to Mavericks’ lineup during upcoming Eastern road trip: Report

229
Getting with the programme | Arseblog … an Arsenal blog

Getting with the programme | Arseblog … an Arsenal blog

3
The longest an NCAA bracket has ever stayed perfect

The longest an NCAA bracket has ever stayed perfect

1
Hanshin Tigers shut out Cubs, Dodgers for back-to-back wins

Hanshin Tigers shut out Cubs, Dodgers for back-to-back wins

1
Avious Griffin Highlights Boxing Insider Promotion’s Card By Stopping Jose Luis Sanchez In 9.

Avious Griffin Highlights Boxing Insider Promotion’s Card By Stopping Jose Luis Sanchez In 9.

1
Baylor Tight End Michael Trigg Dominates Kansas State with Huge Performance

Baylor Tight End Michael Trigg Dominates Kansas State with Huge Performance

0
What are the tactical options for the Singapore Grand Prix?

What are the tactical options for the Singapore Grand Prix?

October 4, 2025
As Chelsea nab thrilling statement win, Liverpool continue downward spiral

As Chelsea nab thrilling statement win, Liverpool continue downward spiral

October 4, 2025
Baylor Tight End Michael Trigg Dominates Kansas State with Huge Performance

Baylor Tight End Michael Trigg Dominates Kansas State with Huge Performance

October 4, 2025
Cowboys to be down at least three offensive linemen vs. Jets

Cowboys to be down at least three offensive linemen vs. Jets

October 4, 2025
Fans leave Clemson vs UNC football game after 28-3 deficit

Fans leave Clemson vs UNC football game after 28-3 deficit

October 4, 2025
Six fighters who should feature in Zuffa Boxing League, and four who could

Six fighters who should feature in Zuffa Boxing League, and four who could

October 4, 2025
Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn TikTok Pinterest
Got Action

Stay updated with the latest sports news, highlights, and expert analysis at Got Action. From football to basketball, we cover all your favorite sports. Get your daily dose of action now!

CATEGORIES

  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Football
  • Formula 1
  • Golf
  • MLB
  • MMA
  • NBA
  • NCAA Baseball
  • NCAA Basketball
  • NCAA Football
  • NCAA Sport
  • NFL
  • NHL
  • Tennis
  • Uncategorized

SITEMAP

  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Submit Press Release
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us

Copyright © 2025 Got Action.
Got Action is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • NCAA
    • NCAA Football
    • NCAA Basketball
    • NCAA Baseball
    • NCAA Sport
  • Baseball
  • NFL
  • NBA
  • NHL
  • MLB
  • Formula 1
  • MMA
  • Boxing
  • Tennis
  • Golf
  • Sports Picks
Submit Press Release

Copyright © 2025 Got Action.
Got Action is not responsible for the content of external sites.