NFL Rumors: Tee Higgins ‘Unlikely’ to Get Bengals Long-Term Contract amid Signing Tag

Wide receiver Tee Higgins is reportedly “unlikely” to get a long-term contract with the Cincinnati Bengals after he signed his franchise tag tender last week, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

“My understanding of the situation is it is considered unlikely that Tee Higgins will end up getting the long-term extension that he wants,” Rapoport said.

Higgins previously missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp while holding out for an extension, but never received and signed his one-year franchise tag worth $21.8 million. He will be a free agent next offseason.

Higgins also reportedly requested a trade after the Bengals decided to franchise tag him, though he also said that he’d “love to come back” to Cincinnati shortly a few weeks after that report.

Whether Higgins will be looking for an extension with the Bengals or a contract with a new team next year is unclear, but he will be searching for the long-term deal he wasn’t awarded this offseason.

While Higgins didn’t get the extension that he was hoping for with Cincinnati this offseason, he’s likely due for a big contract if he can perform well during the 2024 season. He had just 656 receiving yards and five touchdowns while limited to 12 games, but after back-to-back seasons of 1,000+ yards, it seems he could get to that level again this year.

The wide receiver market has led to a handful of lucrative deals this offseason, like Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million extension and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s four-year, $120 million extension. That trend of paying wide receivers is likely to continue into next offseason, and that could work out well for Higgins.