Tee Higgins' future with the Bengals may revolve around a few important dates within the next month on the NFL calendar
When Cincinnati Bengals fans look back on this offseason, the first major decision will have likely involved wide receiver Tee Higgins. Higgins is of course a top priority for the club to retain this year, but the reason why Cincinnati may address his future first has everything to do with the NFL calendar. And it's […]
When Cincinnati Bengals fans look back on this offseason, the first major decision will have likely involved wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Higgins is of course a top priority for the club to retain this year, but the reason why Cincinnati may address his future first has everything to do with the NFL calendar.
And it's creeping up very fast.
The Bengals can place a second franchise tag on Higgins starting in one week, as the franchise tag window officially opens Tuesday, February 18. It's the first of several important dates for clubs just within the next month.
The Bengals not only used the franchise tag on Higgins last year, they did so three days after the window to tag him opened. This indicated both sides were still far apart from reaching a long-term contract agreement, effectively cancelling any further negotiations from happening for the remainder of the offseason. Higgins eventually signed the tag in July and participated in training camp.
Since then, Higgins put together his best season since 2021, he hired Ja'Marr Chase's agent to represent him, and Joe Burrow has been almost literally banging the table to get him re-signed to a deal that pays him fairly.
There's significantly more hope that a deal is reached now than there was three months ago, but how the Bengals navigate this new window will tell us a lot about where things stand.
The tag window opens next Tuesday, and closes two weeks from then on March 4. If the Bengals don't place the tag on Higgins by then, they'll have about a week to come to an agreement before other teams can officially negotiate with him during the legal tampering period from March 10-12. Free agency officially begins on March 12 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Deadlines tend to spur action for the Bengals. The March 4 deadline to tag Higgins again may be when a final push is made to re-sign him. If a deal isn't reached by then and the team declines to tag him, 31 other teams will have a phenomenal chance at luring him in with offers.
No matter what happens, Higgins' future will be determined within the next month, and the Bengals can't stop the clock from ticking.
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