On Tuesday afternoon, the Bengals’ power structure had some things to say about receiver Tee Higgins. On Tuesday night, Higgins posted a one-emoji response.
Higgins posted the cap symbol on Twitter. It’s the universal indication that the person using it believes a lie has been told.
The alleged falsehood apparently comes from Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin’s claim that the team intends to sign Higgins to a long-term deal.
Because the Bengals applied the franchise tag to Higgins in 2024 at the rate of $21.8 million, using it in 2025 would result in a 20-percent increase, to $26.16 million. And that becomes the starting point for negotiations on a multi-year deal.
Basically, the Bengals would need to make Higgins an offer that persuades him to trade in the ability to play for $26.16 million in 2025 and to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026, because the rules make a third tag ridiculously expensive.
It’s possible that Higgins believes the Bengals are going through the motions on long-term negotiations with the intent of tagging him and keeping him for one more season — or tagging him and trading him.
Regardless, Higgins thinks someone is lying, about something. That fact that he posted the cap emoji on the same day Tobin claimed the team intends to sign Higgins to a long-term deal makes that contention the likely target of Higgins’s claim.
The Bengals have until Tuesday, March 4, to tag Higgins. They’d then have until the middle of July to turn the one-year tender offer into a long-term deal.
At this point, it makes sense for Higgins to play it out and see whether they tag him a second time. If they do, it will essentially prevent the Bengals or any other team from ever using the franchise tag on him again. Once a second tag applies, any future use of the franchise tag on Higgins would activate the rules of the third franchise tag.
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