The NFL's two-week window for teams to use the franchise tag will officially open Monday, February 18. After months of speculation about the future of Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, the Chargers will officially have clarity on where he stands before free agency opens in March.
Right now, it's not looking like Higgins will actually hit the open market.
Per James Rapien of Bengals Talk SI, the Bengals intend to franchise tag Higgins for the second straight year. The tag itself sends a strong signal to the league on how Cincinnati feels about their chances to get a deal done with Higgins. Per Rapien's article, the Bengals do plan to sign Higgins to a long-term contract this offseason:.
"Last year the Bengals tagged Higgins and there wasn't much dialogue about a long-term contract," Rapien wrote. "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."
Chargers' Tee Higgins dream will end if Bengals use the franchise tag
Like some other players entering free agency or contract negotiations, Higgins also changed representation back in December. The Bengals' wideout signed with Alliance Sports after moving on from David Mulugheta. Alliance's Rocky Arceneaux now represents both Higgins as well as teammate Ja'Marr Chase.
In theory, tag and trade situations are possible if negotiations were to head south. But even then, the Bengals plan to use the non-exclusive tag on Higgins if a long-term contract is not reached by March 4th.
Technically, other teams could then negotiate with Higgins on the non-exclusive tag. But if he agrees to a deal with a new team and Cincinnati opts not to match, the Bengals would receive two of the signing teams' first-round picks.
Ultimately, this is bad news for any potential Chargers' pursuit of Tee Higgins. It seems as though there is more internal optimism on the Bengals' side that they can get a deal done with Higgins.
Even if they can't, the cost of a team signing him on the non-exclusive tag is a non-starter. As we also saw with Ravens QB Lamar Jackson two years ago, there's not much precedent for other NFL teams acting on non-exclusive tag players during contract talks.
It's probably time for the Chargers to pivot to options like Davante Adams, DK Metcalf, or others on the trade and free agency markets. While Higgins would've fit beautifully in LA, this was always a possibility. Bengals QB Joe Burrow has also made it clear to the media and organization that he wants Cincinnati to keep Higgins.
As the franchise tag window winds to a close in a few weeks, we'll see which players are available for the Chargers in March. But for the time being, it seems like Tee Higgins is now off the table for GM Joe Hortiz.