Tee Higgins, the Bengals’ franchise receiver, requested a trade after being placed on the franchise tag in April. Despite months of negotiations, nothing has changed. However, Higgins said Sunday that he expects to play for the Bengals this season. “I do anticipate it,” he said via video from Charlie Clifford of WXIX-TV. “I’ve grown a love for Cincinnati that I didn’t think I would.”
The Bengals and Higgins have been talking for two years without coming to terms on a long-term deal. They have until 4 p.m. ET on July 15 to negotiate a new contract. The one-year, fully guaranteed franchise tag will pay Higgins $21.8 million this season.
Safety Jessie Bates played 2022 on the franchise tag before leaving for a four-year, $64.02 million deal with the Falcons in the 2023 offseason. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time last season. Eight teams used the franchise tag this offseason, and Higgins and Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. are the only players yet to sign a contract extension.
Higgins, 25, played 12 games last season, missing four games with a fractured rib and then Week 18 with a hamstring issue. He caught 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns, all career lows. Despite these challenges, Higgins had two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and has amassed an impressive total of 499 catches for 7373 yards and 38 touchdowns in his four seasons in Cincinnati, which made him a second-round pick in
