Barring an 11th hour turn of events, it appears as though Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins will become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2024 NFL season.
Higgins, who was franchise tagged by Cincinnati earlier this year, remains without a long term contract extension as the July 15th deadline fast approaches. The 25 year old signed the franchise tag agreement on June 17th, but also made it clear that in an ideal world, he would either be traded or signed to an extension.
That deal has yet to materialize as Cincinnati continues its trend of letting franchise tagged players play out the final year of their contract.
Originally a 2nd round pick (33rd overall) by Cincinnati in the 2020 NFL Draft, Higgins has been a reliable weapon for the club since joining the league. Across 58 career games, the 6’4″ wideout has hauled in 257 passes for 3,684 yards and 24 TDs.
However, with an injury to Joe Burrow in 2023, coupled with some nicks and bruises of his own which caused him to miss 5 games himself, Higgins is coming off the worst statistical season of his NFL career. A factor that no doubt played a role in the club’s decision not to extend him this offseason.
Under the terms of the franchise tag agreement, the former Clemson star will earn $21.8M this year before becoming one of the premier free agents in the class of 2025.
Higgins won’t be the only WR who could be testing the open market next offseason though. Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, and Chris Godwin are just some of the names who could also be in line for big pay days when the NFL calendar flips.
As NFL salaries continue to spike with the signing of new broadcast and sponsorship deals, Higgins’ camp will no doubt be looking for something in $30M per year range. A figure which is no longer a laughable starting point given the string of big money contracts handed out over the last 365 days to pass catchers.
A.J. Brown and his 3 year, $96M deal ($84M guaranteed) as well as Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 4 year, $120M pact ($77M guaranteed) can be thanked for that progress.
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