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Tee Higgins is the key name to watch for the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2024 offseason. Perhaps the best No. 2 wide receiver in all of football, Higgins is set to hit NFL free agency for the first time in his career — barring a franchise tag.
Having said that, a franchise tag is exactly what ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz believes the Bengals will choose to do ahead of the new league year in March.
“The Bengals will place the franchise tag on Higgins instead of trading him to another team as often rumored,” Schatz wrote for his “big prediction” of the Cincy offseason on January 15. “They are currently sixth in projected cap space for 2024 and can easily fit the franchise tag into their budget and keep this high-end offense rolling.”
Schatz is right about the Bengals having the money to keep Higgins if they so choose. Over the Cap currently projects Cincinnati is just under $60 million in available cap space on January 19, trailing only the Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.
Latest on Tee Higgins From NFL Insiders Bodes Well for Bengals Return in 2024
In the same article, ESPN colleague Jeremy Fowler provided the latest that he’s heard about Higgins and the Bengals.
“The belief around the league is the Bengals have prioritized Joe Burrow (already extended) and [Ja’Marr] Chase (will be extended down the road), meaning Higgins might be the odd man out because of financial constraints,” Fowler relayed. “But the dynamic receiver will be awfully tempting to keep, which is why I’m not taking a franchise tag off the table. Multiple teams would be willing to pay him something close to No. 1 receiver money.”
On January 12, Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith also reported that “Higgins said both Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have made clear that they think the front office should do what it takes to bring him back, and the relationship with his teammates and coaches makes him want to remain a Bengal.”
This all hints that Schatz’s prediction could prove correct.
Ja’Marr Chase Extension Called Bengals’ ‘Biggest Priority’ Along With Tee Higgins
It’s a good thing Cincinnati has all this cap space, because they may have to start spending it on their two superstar wide receivers.
“The Bengals should focus on sorting out their wide receiver situation [in 2024],” ESPN’s Ben Baby stated on January 15. “They have to make contract decisions on two key players; Ja’Marr Chase is eligible for an extension, and Tee Higgins is at the end of his rookie deal.”
Extending both won’t be cheap, but the Cincy offense has certainly relied on these two pass-catchers in recent years.
“Chase, who is one of the best receivers in the game and has 1,000-plus yards in each of his three seasons, could end up resetting the market based on what happens with Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson,” Baby continued. “And Cincinnati could opt to give Higgins the franchise tag while exploring potential trade options.”
It seems the Bengals have four routes they could go in 2024, regarding these two talents:
- Extend Chase and Higgins, keeping both long-term.
- Extend Higgins and wait on extending Chase.
- Franchise tag Higgins and either extend or wait on Chase.
- Trade Higgins after franchise tagging him, extend Chase.
A fifth option would be to allow Higgins to test the free agent market — and potentially walk — but that feels unlikely given Cincinnati has ample cap space to at least tag and trade the 25-year-old wide receiver.
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