Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins is signing his franchise tender on Saturday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first with the report.
Before Saturday, Higgins had not signed his franchise tender and was not around the team. He missed OTAs and was also not present at mandatory minicamp.
With this out of the way, Higgins can now report to the team and will play on the franchise tag for this season before likely going to a new team next year. The Bengals won’t be able to give both him and fellow wideout Ja’Marr Chase long-term deals.
Higgins has been one of the top receivers ever since he entered the league in 2020. He’s compiled two 1,000-yard seasons and finished the 2023 season with 42 receptions for 656 yards and five touchdowns.
His best individual season (so far) came in 2021 when he finished with 74 receptions for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns.
He’ll report to training camp in late July and will be ready for the 2024 season. The Bengals finished the 2023 season with a 9-8 record after star quarterback Joe Burrow had to miss the end of the season with a wrist injury. It resulted in them missing the playoffs.
