The Jackosnville Jaguars have been seen as a popular destination for Tee Higgins in free agency becuase he caught passes from Trevor Lawrence during his collegiate days. However, it looks like any plans for a potential reunion will go up in smoke due to a significant update.
James Rapien of Sports Illustrated reports that the Cincinnati Bengals plan to use the franchise tag on Higgins. If they do, he won't hit the open market, and teams would need to trade for him to acquire him.
Sources: The Bengals' plan to use the franchise tag on Tee Higgins. Here's what it means for a long-term deal, when it could happen and other details that we have on the star wide receiver⬇️https://t.co/TdLrFWc6Bn
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) February 17, 2025
Of course, plans can change all the time, but it looks like the Bengals won't let the star receiver hit the open market. The window to use the tag opens on February 18, and Higgins' camp expects to get it.
This would be the second time the former Clemson Tiger gets the tag. He got it last year, but this time though, the Bengals plan to use it as a placeholder to get a long-term done, which wasn't the case in 2024.
"Sources say Higgins' camp expects to get tagged at this point. He would be the top free agent if he were to make it to free agency.
That isn't expected to happen. The Bengals will tag Higgins by the March 4 deadline.
Their "why" certainly feels different this time around.
Last year the Bengals tagged Higgins and there wasn't much dialogue about a long-term contract. He was the only player that was tagged by his team last year that didn't sign a multi-year extension.
This year feels different. The Bengals plan to sign the star receiver to a long-term deal, sources say."
All things considered, the Bengals' change of stance is a bit surprising. After all, Higgins had been looking for a long-term extension since 2023 but they hadn't engaged in serious talks to get something done. Then again, it's possible that Cincinnati realized how imporant he's. It also helped that Joe Burrow has been pushing to get the team's star players signed.
A second-round pick in 2020, Higgins has been a mainstay of the Bengals offense the past five years, hauling in 330 catches for 4,595 yards with 34 touchdowns in that span. What makes his success even more impressive is that he's racked up big numbers despite the fact that he lines up opposite Ja'Marr Chase.
The Jaguars will have options to bolster WR corps aside from Tee Higgins
There was always a chance that Tee Higgins wouldn't hit the open market, so the news that he's getting the franchise tag shouldn't come as a surprise. Granted, Trevor Lawrence would've loved to throw passes to him again, but he would've been far from the only option the Jacksonville Jaguars have in free agency to fortify their wide receiver corps.
Chris Godwin, who played for head coach Liam Coen, will probably be available. He's coming off a serious injury, but he's been reliable throughout his career. If they aren't interested in Godwin, they could turn their attention to either Stefon Diggs or Amari Cooper. Both are slated to become free agents.
Then again, Christian Kirk could also stick around for one more season. Although he's been a mainstay of the Jacksonville offensive since 2022, he's suffered season-ending injuries in back-to-back years. That's why the former Texas A&M is expected to be either traded or released in the offseason. However, the Jags could also ask him to take a paycut or restructure his contract.
On the other hand, if the Jags do want to move on from Kirk or simply want to made upgrades to the wide receiver corps, they can wait until the NFL Draft. At No. 5, they would be in a position to take either Tetairoa McMillan or Travis Hunter.
The bottom line is that Trevor Lawrence would've been thrilled to play with Tee Higgins again. But based on the latest news, the Jacksonville Jaguars will need to look somewhere else to get help at receiver this offseason.