Former teammate warns Tee Higgins about potential dangers of playing franchise tag.
The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t had much success with their recent franchise-tagged players.
As receiver Tee Higgins considers his future beyond the 2024 season, in which he will earn $21.8 million on his franchise-tag salary, former teammate Jessie Bates III, who was franchise-tagged by Cincinnati in 2022, offered the 25-year-old some advice on how to handle the upcoming season.
“I’ve been through that process through the franchise tag, and I let it weigh on me a little bit more than I should have,” Bates told ESPN. “It had an impact on how I played and went about my daily life. So, my advice to Tee is to focus on his craft. It does not matter if this is the contract year. I often say it: every year is a contract year. You should go out there and train as if this is your final year of playing.”
Bates was unable to reach a long-term agreement with the Bengals and left to join the Atlanta Falcons on a four-year, $64 million contract last season. Higgins is in a similar boat. He has until July 15 to finalize a long-term agreement with the Bengals before being assigned a one-year franchise tag number.
While the Bengals have stated that they want to keep Higgins, the top receiver has stated that this is only possible if the team pays him the amount he is seeking, which is allegedly similar to the three-year, $70 million contract inked by the Colts for Michael Pittman Jr.
“He’ll be fine,” Bates replied. “He’ll get his payday.”
Higgins is not anticipated to sign his franchise agreement anytime soon. He demanded a trade out of Cincinnati earlier this offseason.
In 2021 and 2022, the former second-round pick had consecutive seasons with 74 catches and 1,000 yards. Injuries limited him to only 42 receptions in 12 games last season.
Leave a Reply