One of the biggest questions in the NFL this offseason is what the Cincinnati Bengals plan to do with Tee Higgins. The star wide receiver is headed for free agency after an impressive 2024 campaign in which he caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Given his age and elite skill set, Higgins is projected to be an extremely hot commodity in free agency. After all, he's consistently been ranked as the top potential free agent, in the class regardless of position. But, the Bengals could block Higgins from ever even hitting the market by designating him as a franchise player, and it sounds like that's their plan.
Higgins played under the franchise tag for Cincinnati last season after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a long-term extension. This time around though, the Bengals reportedly plan to sign him to a long-term deal. The Bengals can tag Higgins to prevent him from hitting free agency, and then work on a longer deal. That will likely be the plan.
2025 NFL franchise tag window opening and closing dates
When it comes to Cincinnati tagging Higgins, there are a couple of important dates to keep in mind. The earliest the Bengals could potentially tag Higgins is Feb. 18, as that's when the tag period opens.
The window to designate a player under the franchise tag is a short one that remains open for just two weeks. March 4 is the deadline for teams to tag a player. So, if the Bengals plan to tag Higgins, they will have to do so by that date.
Placing Higgins under the franchise tag for the 2025 season would cost the Bengals north of $26 million. That figure will obviously change if a long-term agreement between the two sides is ultimately reached.
The Bengals are a team built to win in the present around star quarterback Joe Burrow, so keeping Higgins in Cincinnati one way or another certainly makes sense.