Well, it’s official, at least as official as something being tweeted by Ian Rapoport can be.
The Cincinnati Bengals are using their franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins. He’ll be under contract, once he signs the tender, for one year and a fully guaranteed $21.816 million, for what would be the proverbial “last ride” with quarterback Joe Burrow and fellow wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
It was pretty much common knowledge the Bengals were going to use the franchise tag on Higgins. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal before the 2023 season after the Bengals were able to extend linebacker Logan Wilson and make Burrow the highest-paid player in league history.