Tee Higgins receives franchise tag: Bengals explain ‘simple’ decision to make move well before tag deadline

There won’t be any franchise-tag drama between Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Bengals became the first team to use the tag this offseason when they officially placed it on Higgins on Monday. Coach Zac Taylor definitely seemed thrilled with the news. 

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

The fact that the Bengals decided to tag Higgins isn’t that surprising, but the timing of the decision is somewhat unusual. Most teams wait until closer to the tag deadline before making a decision on whether to use the franchise tag (the deadline this year is March 5). That gives the team more time to work out a possible long-term deal with the player.   

Speaking at the NFL Combine Tuesday, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin explained why the team didn’t wait to get the tag done. 

“It’s really simple: He’s a good player, we want to keep him, and we have resources to do that, so we decided early to do it,” Tobin said. “And that’s where we are. We like Tee. We’re a better team with Tee. With the way we managed our cap, we had the ability to put the franchise tag on him, and we did.”  

The decision by the Bengals comes just days after they — and the 31 other teams — got an unexpected gift from the NFL when the league announced that the salary cap would be set at $255.4 million in 2024, which is $10 million to $15 million more than most teams were expecting. 

The Bengals will now be using some of that extra money to pay Higgins, who will get a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth $21.816 million if he plays on the tag. Once Higgins signs his franchise deal, he’ll have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract with the Bengals. If that doesn’t happen, then he’ll go into the 2024 season on his one-year deal. 

Whether…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tee-higgins-receives-franchise-tag-bengals-explain-simple-decision-to-make-move-well-before-tag-deadline/

Author : John Breech

Publish date : 2024-02-28 16:20:27

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