The window for teams to use franchise tags will open on February 18th at 4 p.m. EST and close on March 4th at 4 p.m. EST.
<img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="300" height="200" class="size-medium wp-image-500330 alignright" src="https://i0.wp.com/nfltraderumors.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/USATSI_21174710_168383805_lowres.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1" alt=""ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects it to be a “quiet tag cycle” but named the following players as tag options: Bengals WR Tee Higgins, Vikings QB Sam Darnold, Vikings CB Byron Murphy Jr. and Chiefs G Trey Smith.
Once the tag is used, the sides have until July 15th to work out a multi-year deal, or the player will operate under the one-year tender. It was reported yesterday that Cincinnati plans to use the tag on Higgins again to reach a long-term deal before the season.
The non-exclusive franchise tag is the most common, which allows players to negotiate with other teams but the current team has the right to match any offer and receive two first-round picks if the player leaves. The exclusive franchise tag is mostly the same but the player can only negotiate with their current team, while the transition tag gives the team a chance to match any offer but they don’t get compensation if the player leaves.
Higgins, 25, is a former second-round pick by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He finished the final year of a four-year, $8,686,785 rookie contract and made a base salary of $2,993,000 in 2023.
He was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him, which cost the team around $21.8 million fully guaranteed for the 2024 season.
In 2024, Higgins appeared in 12 games for the Bengals and recorded 73 receptions on 109 targets for 911 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns.
We have him included in our Top 100 2025 NFL Free Agents list.
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