Tee Higgins gets franchise tagged again as Bengals try to keep band together

The Bengals opted to use their franchise tag on Tee Higgins for the second straight offseason. Cincinnati made the move official on Monday afternoon and in a statement said that they made the decision “with the intent of continuing to work toward a long-term deal.” Higgins reacted to the news on X a short while later by posting, “tag”Higgins’ franchise tag would be worth $26.2 million for the upcoming season if the two sides aren’t able to come to an agreement on an extension. The deadline to reach an extension with Higgins is July 15.The Bengals had expressed a desire to keep Higgins in the fold this upcoming season during the NFL combine last week. “You can pull up three years ago, talking about doing a long-term deal with Tee and here we are today, still talking about doing a long-term deal,” director of player personnel Duke Tobin said, according to the AP.  ”Whenever I’m in charge of a football team, I want Tee Higgins and so I’m going to do what I can to get Tee Higgins.”The turn of events is surely disappointing for Higgins, who had been through this situation last season when he had hoped to receive some sense of security with a long-term deal that never materialized.That is now playing out again and if the two sides don’t get a deal done, Higgins would become a free agent after this upcoming season. Higgins has played five seasons in the NFL after being taken in the second round of the 2025 draft and is coming off a year in which he had 73 catches, including 10 touchdowns, for 911 yards. The wide receiver isn’t the only player the Bengals are looking to extend this offseason. Star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are two other players the franchise is also focusing on re-signing. Both are set to be unrestricted free agents after the 2025 season.“We want to re-sign these guys, reward them for their ability level and add to the football team.It’s a tall task, but we think we’re ...