Bengals still working to sign Tee Higgins to long-term extension

Can the Bengals get a deal done before the franchise tag has to be used?

Ahead of NFL free agency, it appears Tee Higgins will remain with the Cincinnati Bengals for the 2024 season.

What happens beyond that is the real question, as the Bengals will have to get creative to get Higgins signed to a long-term deal while also negotiating a mega contract with fellow wideout Ja’Marr Chase.

To this point, the belief has been Higgins will ultimately get hit with the franchise tag this year. However, the Bengals are still working to get him signed to a long-term deal and not use the tag.

According to NFL reporter Tony Pauline, the Bengals are still working to get a deal done before the tag has to be used.

Media reports say the Bengals are expected to place the franchise tag on Higgins to keep him with the team in 2024. But I’ve been told the team wants him longer than just next season.

Sources close to the Bengals tell me the team is trying to negotiate a contract extension with Higgins to lock him up for the next several years. If the team cannot agree to terms with the wideout by March 5, they’ll tag him but continue to negotiate with the hopes of signing him long term before the start of the season.

There’s been speculation as to how much the Bengals value Higgins and if they thought he was worth signing to a massive long-term extension, especially after last year’s report that Higgins was not in the Bengals’ future plans.

While I don’t think the Bengals will be able to hammer out a long-term deal with Higgins, it is good to know they haven’t thrown the towel in quite yet. Here’s to hoping a deal gets done before the one-year franchise tag has to be used.