After the Bengals placed the franchise tag on receiver Tee Higgins, he requested a trade. A month later, nothing has changed.
Higgins, however, said Sunday that he hopes to play for the Bengals this season.
“I anticipate this,” Higgins said, via video from WXIX-TV’s Charlie Clifford. “I developed a love for Cincinnati that I never thought I would have. [I’m] looking forward to it.”
Higgins and the Bengals talked for two years without reaching an agreement on a long-term deal. They have until 4pm ET on July 15th to negotiate a new deal.
The one-year, fully guaranteed franchise will pay Higgins $21.8 million.
Safety Jessie Bates played 2022 for the franchise before leaving for a four-year, $64.02 million contract with the Falcons in the 2023 offseason. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time last season.
Eight teams have used the franchise this offseason, and Higgins and Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. are the only players who have not yet signed a contract extension.
Higgins, 25, played in 12 games last season, missing four games with a fractured rib and then Week 18 with a hamstring issue. He caught 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns, all career lows.
Higgins had 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022 and 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns in his four seasons in Cincinnati, making him a second-round pick in 2020.
