The Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins for the second straight year, and many fans and analysts aren’t happy about it.
Former Bengals receiver Chad Johnson recently called the team out for not getting a long term deal done with Higgins, and quarterback Joe Burrow has publicly advocated for the team to pay one of his favorite targets.
Higgins’ name has circulated in trade rumors for the past few seasons, but the Bengals have kept him on the roster. After paying Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins was believed to be the next player in line to get an extension. Chase is also waiting for his own deal, but it seems to be more of a formality than a question.
Neither player has been given the long-term deal they feel they deserve, and even Higgins’ mother is weighing in on the situation.
Higgins’ mother posted a quote from Johnson on her Instagram story, noting that the ex-Bengal called the franchise tag “disrespectful.”
She agreed with the sentiment, saying that putting the franchise tag on her son for the second year in a row was disrespectful “as hell.” Higgins has yet to respond to being tagged again in a formal matter, but he simply tweeted the word “tag” after the move was reported by journalists around the league.
The Bengals selected Higgins with the 33rd overall pick in 2020, after he won a national championship under head coach Dabo Swinney at Clemson.
Higgins has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark twice, and nearly did so for a third time this season, even as his teammate Chase had a historic year.
“I want to make it happen,” Burrow said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast about keeping the team’s core together. “We all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that I think you can get those things done.” The Bengals have been to one Super Bowl and were a few plays away from getting to a second just a few years ago.
Burrow and Chase had career years last season, even if the team narrowly missed out on the playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles have shown how important continuity can be when it comes to building a championship roster.
We’ll see if the Bengals get the message and work harder to iron out a new deal for Higgins.
Palmer McAllister
Dream
Amy Cooper
Dede@10