In what will register as music to the ears of Cincinnati Bengals fans, one prominent analyst says the team must do whatever it takes to keep wide receiver Tee Higgins this offseason.
Tasked with identifying one move each team must make, NFL.com’s Kevin Patra says it’s simple when it comes to the Bengals:
Letting a pivotal offensive cog walk without getting anything in return makes no sense, especially considering the Bengals are projected to have sufficient cap space that they could end up signing enough players to prevent them from being awarded a compensatory pick for losing Higgins. Instead, Cincinnati could use that short-term space to ensure Higgins doesn’t hit the open market — where he’d probably see upwards of $25 million per year as his new team’s No. 1 wideout — in 2024. Using the tag on Higgins gives Cincy three options:
As the writeup points out, that roughly $21.7 million tag would give the Bengals at least one more year of Higgins and flexibility.
An extension is likely more preferable because the Bengals would have greater control over the how and when of cap hits, but a tag at least gives them a little more breathing room — and keeps the offense around Joe Burrow intact.
Barring an absolute stunner, these fine points around a tag are why it has continued to seem like the obvious outcome soon enough.
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