Rapien - Bengals Must Tag Tee Higgins

[Stewy]

(02-14-2025, 11:01 AM)ochocincos Wrote: James Rapien wrote an article on SI that was released this morning mentioning that the Bengals MUST franchise tag Higgins again.

The justification Rapien gives:
Tagging costs just $26 mill. (This is around what many fans are hoping Higgins would sign around for anyway, just want multiple year deal)
Other teams are very likely to offer $30+ mill.

Last, Rapien mentions not only is Higgins the top WR hitting FA, but the top overall FA.

This tag would accomplish three things for the Bengals - it drastically elongates the time they have to negotiate a new deal, it prevents other teams from being able to offer him anything, and it opens up the opportunity for the Bengals to try to trade him this coming Spring/Summer if the two sides cannot come to a long-term deal and he refuses to play on the tag.

Any tagged player has until July 15 to sign a multi-year deal before being forced to play on the tag.
Teams have a window of Feb 18 through March 4 to decide if and who they want to tag.

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/gm-report/here-s-why-the-cincinnati-bengals-must-use-franchise-tag-on-tee-higgins-01jkxz63d18e

What are your thoughts? Agree with Rapien?

duh - of course they will.  The time between NFL off season events really is making Rapien desperate to post the obvious as an original take.