On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated’s James Rapien reported that the Bengals are planning to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins.
If Higgins does end up playing on the tag in Cincinnati, it would guarantee him $26.18 million in 2025 - the average of the five highest salaries from last season among wide receivers.
But with this tag being the “non-exclusive” version of this contract mechanism, it means other teams could still offer him a deal that Cincinnati could either match or let him walk in exchange for first-round draft picks.
And while this would be the second consecutive season the 26-year-old would play under the tag, Rapien reports that the Bengals intend to get a “long-term deal” done with Higgins after tagging him.
This bit of news is a huge blow for the Patriots, as The Washington Post reported last Tuesday that at least one NFL GM was predicting New England as the landing spot for the top free agent on the market this offseason.
Here’s what the WaPo’s Jason La Canfora said in his column on the Higgins-Patriots smoke:
“[Joe] Burrow has front-office officials around the league chattering about the lengths he is going to make the case for the Bengals keeping free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins and free agent tight end Mike Gesicki while also extending the deals of wideout Ja’Marr Chase and pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. ‘We have the cap space to get it done,’ Burrow practically pleaded during his pre-Super Bowl media blitz. That, of course, doesn’t mean Bengals owner Mike Brown will spend big.
“‘Burrow is going to be pissed,’ a second GM predicted. “No way they are keeping more than two of those four.” Multiple executives I spoke with predicted Higgins will land at least $30 million per season. ‘I think he’s going to New England,’ the first GM said. Patriots owner Robert Kraft ‘took a lot of s--- for not spending any money, rightfully so, and I hear they really want this guy.’”
If La Canfora’s sources are correct, there’s still hope for Higgins to become quarterback Drake Maye’s top target for 2025. But with Rapien’s caveat that that Bengals are intending to eventually get a long-term deal done after executing the tag, this may be a case of Higgins taking less money for this upcoming season with the specter of making more money moving forward without having to change teams.
In addition to not having to relocate, he would continue to have the opportunity to play alongside superstars in Burrow and Chase. While Maye is exciting, he’s nowhere near that level of player at this point. The ceiling for that is there, but a bird in hand is worth more than two in the bush.
It may be time to get back to the drawing board for the Patriots’ front office, who still have a league-leading $123 million in cap space to spend.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ offseason.