1,000-Yard Wideout Tee Higgins Gets Franchise Tagged By the Bengals
For the first time in three years, the Cincinnati Bengals missed out on the playoffs, after having gone to two straight AFC Championship games and one Super Bowl appearance in 2021. The disappointing 2023-24 season for the Bengals, saw the team being ravaged by injuries, most notably a season-ending wrist injury to star quarterback Joe Burrow and multi-week injuries to wide receiver Tee Higgins. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Higgins finished the season with a statistically down year and limited availability due to a hamstring injury that lingered throughout the season. Despite these setbacks, the dynamic wideout was hoping to get a huge contract this offseason, now it was just announced that the Bengals will be using their franchise tag on Tee Higgins.
Higgins, who was drafted by the Bengals in 2020, had been an important piece within the Bengals’ wide receiver group. The combination of Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Higgins made them a fierce trio that opponents had struggles figuring out how to contain over recent years. Through his first four seasons, Higgins has made himself a top receiving threat, as he racked up 3,684 receiving yards, 24 touchdowns, and 257 receptions in his 58 games played for Cincinnati. In seven postseason games played, Higgins has been a difference maker, as he has collected 457 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and 31 catches.
In 12 games played last season, Higgins caught 42 passes for a career-low 656 yards and only five touchdowns. Higgins finished the season having missed a total of five games due to a nagging hamstring injury. The injury that Higgins dealt with was originally injured during practice on Nov. 8, which resulted in him missing three straight games, and was reaggravated in the Bengals’ Week 17 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite this lackluster season for Higgins, the star-studded wideout remains one of the league’s best receivers, and the Cincinnati Bengals will be relieved to have this substantial wideout back in their receiver room.
