Why Not Franchise Tag Tee Higgins Twice?

[MC Howley]

I’m sure the counterargument will be that the Bengals don’t have the cash flow they need to make this work. But if that’s the case, why not just franchise tag Tee Higgins again and trade him?

Injuries aside—though I know it's frustrating that Tee has missed half the games this year—when he’s on the field, it’s undeniable that the Bengals are a better team. The offense is simply more unstoppable with him.

What I don’t understand is why teams rarely franchise tag players twice. The Redskins did it with Kirk Cousins, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

Now, according to the current NFL franchise tag values, a second-year franchise tag for a wide receiver (WR) in 2025 would cost 120% of the previous year's tag. That works out to about $26.18 million, based on the 2024 WR franchise tag value of $21.82 million.

So, if the Bengals were to franchise tag Tee Higgins in 2025, it would cost $26.18 million for another year of service. That number is still less than what Aiyuk, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, D.J. Moore, and Cooper Kupp are making annually.

2024 Top NFL WR Salaries (Average Annual Value):
- Justin Jefferson – $35 million (4 years, $140 million)
- CeeDee Lamb – $34 million (4 years, $136 million)
- A.J. Brown – $32 million (3 years, $96 million)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown – $30.002 million (4 years, $120.01 million)
- (tie) Brandon Aiyuk – $30 million (4 years, $120 million)
- (tie) Tyreek Hill – $30 million (4 years, $120 million)
- Jaylen Waddle – $28.3 million (3 years, $84.8 million)
- Davante Adams – $28 million (5 years, $140 million)
- D.J. Moore – $27.5 million (4 years, $110 million)
- Cooper Kupp – $26.7 million (3 years, $80.1 million)
- DeVonta Smith – $25 million (3 years, $75 million)
- Nico Collins – $24.3 million (3 years, $72.8 million)
- D.K. Metcalf – $24 million (3 years, $72 million)
- Deebo Samuel – $23.9 million (3 years, $71.6 million)
- Michael Pittman Jr. – $23.3 million (3 years, $70 million)
- Terry McLaurin – $23.2 million (3 years, $69.6 million)
- Calvin Ridley – $23 million (4 years, $92 million)
- Stefon Diggs – $22.5 million (1 year, $22.5 million)