The Cincinnati Bengals have placed the franchise label in the open receptor Tee Higgins for the second consecutive year.
Higgins announced the news on Monday by publishing in X, “Tag”.
The Bengals then announced the measure, stating that they did it “with the intention of continuing to work towards a long -term agreement in Cincinnati” with Higgins.
The tender of the Higgins franchise would pay you $ 26.2 million for the 2025 season if you cannot accept a long -term contract with the Bengals before the deadline of July 15 for such agreements.
The teams have until Tuesday at 4 PM ET to place the franchise label in pending agents.
Cincinnati has expressed its optimism that the team can make deals in this low season with Higgins, the open receiver Ja’Mar Chase and the defensive wing Trey Hendrickson. Chase and Hendrickson are under contract for one more season. During his annual media session at the NFL Scouting Combine, the general manager of De facto of Bengals, Duke Tobin, said the franchise wants to make Chase, an All-Pro receiver, the best paid quarterback in the league.
Higgins has played an integral role in helping to change the Bengals of the worst NFL team to a contender to the championship.
The Bengals selected Higgins in the second round of the 2020 Draft, the same year Cincinnati led to the Marshal of Campo Joe Burrow with the first general selection. In five seasons, Higgins has been one of the most productive receptors in the League. During that period of time, Higgins occupies the 18th position in total reception yards (4,595) and 14th in TouchDowns (34), according to ESPN Research.
But despite the numbers, to fit a second contract for Higgins in the future in the long term of Cincinnati remained in doubt for years. Higgins sought a long -term extension in the remains of 2023 and 2024, and the last negotiation resulted in the one -year franchise label. Clemson’s former prominent changed agents at the end of the season before the last round of negotiations with the Bengals. Almost at the same time, Burrow repeatedly expressed his support for Cincinnati to sign Higgins again.
Higgins, 26, has fought against injury problems in recent years. Higgins has played in 12 games in each of the last two seasons. Several of these injuries have been soft tissue problems, something that said he planned to address this low season.
Even with lost games, he caught 10 touchdowns in 2024, tied in sixth place in the league. It was also tenth in yards of game reception (75.9).
Ben Baby from ESPN contributed to this report.
