On April 10, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins witnessed another franchise-tagged player, Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher Josh Allen, sign a long-term contract. The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. reported that Higgins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. are now the only two franchise-tagged players who have not yet signed a contract.On April 10, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins witnessed another franchise-tagged player, Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher Josh Allen, sign a long-term contract. The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. reported that Higgins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. are now the only two franchise-tagged players who have not signed a contract.
Those expecting Higgins will drop Mulugheta are unlikely to get their wish anytime soon. The player agent is famous for obtaining Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns following his off-the-field allegations, so he has a track record of getting his clients compensated.
All Quiet on Tee Higgins Trade Front Despite March Request
It seems like a lifetime ago that Higgins formally requested a trade on March 11.
“Bengals franchise WR Tee Higgins has requested a trade, per sources,” Schefter said at the time. “Higgins adores Cincinnati and had hoped to stay with the organisation indefinitely, but he is upset that the management has not discussed a long-term contract extension since March 2023. He is eager to move on to a new home.”
That announcement came just before the opening of NFL free agency, and it’s been a crazy ride around the league ever since.
For Higgins, however, things have been calm. Too quiet.
Mulugheta’s contract negotiations with the Bengals appear to have stopped, and the team is plainly not in a hurry to deal the former second-round pick. So, what sort of outcome can we expect in 2024?
Higgins has two alternatives, if the Bengals do not deal the wide receiver before or during the NFL Draft.
Option one: play on the franchise tag and give it your all for one final Super Bowl run with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Or method number two: holdout a la Le’Veon Bell in 2018 — but we all know how nicely that worked out.
Cincinnati is unlikely to franchise tag Higgins in consecutive seasons because of the increased cost of doing so.
They may play together in 2024, but LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. is emerging as a popular long-term successor for Higgins in the NFL draft owing to his similar characteristics.
Chad Reuter, an NFL Network draft analyst, was the most recent prominent writer to predict Thomas to the Bengals on April 5.
Brian Thomas Jr. Becoming Popular Tee Higgins Replacement in 2024 NFL Draft
They may play together in 2024, but LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. is emerging as a popular long-term successor for Higgins in the NFL draft owing to comparable characteristics.
On April 5, NFL Network draft analyst Chad Reuter became the latest well-known writer to predict Thomas’s arrival in Cincinnati.
“The Bengals take a receiver who can stretch the field in case the franchise-tagged Tee Higgins is ultimately dealt or isn’t around for the long term,” Reuter said. “Quarterback Joe Burrow finished his career at LSU before Thomas arrived in Baton Rouge, but a quick connection could be in the making.”
It would make sense for Cincinnati to find a replacement for Higgins in late April, perhaps in round one or during the weekend. This is a very deep WR class in 2024, with a lot of talent likely to go in the mid to late rounds of the draft.
That works wonderfully for the Bengals, who might try their luck with one or two pass catchers that can first learn head coach Zac
