Bengals make franchise tag for Tee Higgins official

The Cincinnati Bengals made the franchise tag for Tee Higgins official on Monday.

That tag checks in at $21.8 million and keeps Higgins under contract for at least one more season with the Bengals. The two sides now have until July 15 to work out a contract extension.

“Tee has done an outstanding job for us since we drafted him in 2020,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said in the announcement. “I’m glad that he’ll continue to be a big part of our offense and our team.”

The report of the incoming tag happened early in the process, making the timing interesting — Bengals brass such as Duke Tobin will be at the scouting combine this week alongside the 31 other teams, which understandably fuels trade speculation.

Still, the Bengals haven’t given any indication the plan is anything other than Higgins being with the team in 2024.

Even before the team announced it, Higgins appeared to react to the news, too.