Tag decision on TEE coming soon – Crystal Ball - POLL

[*jason*]

(02-01-2024, 05:28 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: The fact most here seems to think we need 2 #1 type receivers makes me think you all dont trust burrow so much

I don't know that Burrow can't be successful without 2 stud WRs, but I do know that he's never done it (for an extended period of time) without them. I also don't see Tee going out like Jesse Bates playing on the tag either. He did all he could to play through injury during a lost season this past year. AJ Green was spent the year he was tagged. He may not have liked the tag, but he never looked like his old self again. Bates on the other hand, balled out this year... Punk.

[samhain]

I guess the question is what you get out of the 20m you save by letting Tee walk. Can you get a RT and a DT? I'd say you probably can after you combine it with additional remaining cap. Can you find a number 2 receiver in the first round? Also probably a yes.

Even with this being the case, will the team be better with the new additions than it would with Tee? Hard to say. What if the RT is Jonah Williams? How would we feel about keeping Jonah and not Tee? Probably not as good as we would about a respected free agent. Not saying Jonah isn't good, but that will be the fan reaction.

I think they tag him and let him play it out. They like what they know and have had trouble replacing number 2 receivers historically. It's just what they do. Frankly, I won't be mad if this happens, so long as they take steps to make this the ever elusive "all-in year". If he stays on a tag, it's the last shot for this group. If they don't have a proactive eye toward the future, then they might as well sell out for the big one before Joey B and Ja'marr start maxing out.

[Brownshoe]

I actually think we don't tag tee, but sign him to a long term deal, along with Chase.

[depthchart]

(02-01-2024, 05:28 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: The fact most here seems to think we need 2 #1 type receivers  makes me think you all dont trust burrow so much

(02-01-2024, 05:59 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The majority of the votes for Higgins getting tagged are simply emotional votes, as they don't want the inevitable to happen.  As was previously mentioned, the last two Bengals to play under the tag did so grudgingly, and played with extreme caution as to their physical health.  In my opinion, executing the franchise tag without a clear path to productive negotiations towards a viable contract does nothing but harm for the team.

(02-01-2024, 06:19 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Also, for those of you in the "they tagged Bates, they will just do the same with Tee" camp - the safety vs. WR tag is 14 million vs. 20 million. It's a significant more amount of money.

Some Posters have a chance of Eating Crow on their Predictions here including me.

I Voted that the "Bengals Tag TEE & make him play for them in 2024 under the Tag"

Most seem very confident in their choices but I have to admit that some Posters are making me question mine.

The Bengals are going to be surprising some of us.  Not sure Who yet.

[Nepa]

(02-01-2024, 02:51 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Leaning more towards thinking they will not tag him.

They're almost certainly not going to tag-and-trade him, and he won't be happy getting tagged and having to play under it. The last two times they used the franchise tag (Bates, Green) the guy was malcontent and mediocre while playing to not get hurt for next FA and ended up walking.

So I think Tee just walks.

Not saying you are wrong, but what a world where someone can get over over $20,000,000 to play WR for one year, probably with an insurance policy in case get significantly injured, and is malcontent. 

At any rate, I think they'll tag him by March 5, because that gives them until mid-July to get a long-term agreement. If Tee doesn't want to sign it, and indicates he is disgruntled by the tag, then go ahead and withdraw it. As I understand it, the tag can be withdrawn any time up until the player signs it.

[*Nately120*]

(02-01-2024, 03:07 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: You can't let him leave without anything in return.

Can't they tag him and then play him this year and then let him walk and get a comp pick?  I was under the impression that was sort of business as usual for the Bengals front office.  I mean, it's not like they're going to fire themselves if they get "nothing" in return.

I may be letting my memory get in the way of the facts and stats, I just feel like Mike Brown takes a bit of a "we want you to stay here so we are going to proceed in the manners in which we have control and it's not up to you right now" stance on this stuff.

I think we tag him and he plays and he may be miffed about it, but he will play and as I've stated before Burrow is going to help Tee look like the type of #2 WR too many NFL teams are desperate to pay and crown as their #1 for the Bengals to compete contract-wise.  That's free agency for ya, you can never compensate for situations where desperate GMs who won't be around to suffer the contract/trade if it goes bad make big splashes.  How many NFL teams could make Tee their #1 WR after he puts up another good year with Burrow?  That's why if we want to keep Tee it's probably going to require paying him like a #1 WR, because at least 1 GM out there is going to really NEED him to be a #1 WR in 2025.

(02-01-2024, 04:52 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: If you tag him and Dont trade him then he walks next year and we get nothing... like almost every player we have tagged.

That's the other side of having a FO that can't get fired.  We don't have a lame duck GM here making insane trades and contracts he won't be around to suffer through, but we also can't act like the Bengals' FO simply CAN NOT let Tee walk for nothing...because they can.  Mike Brown could trade Tee Higgins for Johnny Manziel and nothing would happen to him.

[depthchart]

(02-01-2024, 07:07 PM)Nepa Wrote: Not saying you are wrong, but what a world where someone can get over over $20,000,000 to play WR for one year, probably with an insurance policy in case get significantly injured, and is malcontent. 

At any rate, I think they'll tag him by March 5, because that gives them until mid-July to get a long-term agreement. If Tee doesn't want to sign it, and indicates he is disgruntled by the tag, then go ahead and withdraw it. As I understand it, the tag can be withdrawn any time up until the player signs it.

Not saying he would (he very likely would not) but Chase could then be upset that Higgins is making more than him for 2024.

The #2 receiver is in the $20 million plus per year Club and #1 Chase isn't yet.

Sign me up for getting Wheel Barrows full of Money and then I get to be TEED OFF about it.

[SunsetBengal]

(02-01-2024, 06:42 PM)depthchart Wrote: Some Posters have a chance of Eating Crow on their Predictions here including me.

I Voted that the "Bengals Tag TEE & make him play for them in 2024 under the Tag"

Most seem very confident in their choices but I have to admit that some Posters are making me question mine.

The Bengals are going to be surprising some of us.  Not sure Who yet.

Of course we all have a shot at eating some crow, but it's not a contest of competitive banter.  There just seems to be a rather distinct line between the fans who are basing their opinions off of their emotional investment into the player, as opposed to the fans who are logically thinking in terms of the bigger financial picture of the team.

[Soonerpeace]

(02-01-2024, 06:37 PM)Brownshoe Wrote: I actually think we don't tag tee, but sign him to a long term deal, along with Chase.

Tee wants to stay. Tee wants to get paid. Most of his landing spots likely won’t be title contenders as KC has looming contract issues with their OL. Miami and Buffalo are screwed. By the time he hits FA more could have issues. I kinda agree I think when push comes to shove he takes a long term deal. Duke, Zac, and Joey B want to sign him. The only way they don’t is if his agent convinces him money is more important

[SunsetBengal]

(02-01-2024, 07:52 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Tee wants to stay. Tee wants to get paid. Most of his landing spots likely won’t be title contenders as KC has looming contract issues with their OL. Miami and Buffalo are screwed. By the time he hits FA more could have issues. I kinda agree I think when push comes to shove he takes a long term deal. Duke, Zac, and Joey B want to sign him. The only way they don’t is if his agent convinces him money is more important

Not to rain on your cap strapped parade, but Cleveland is very much interested in signing Tee Higgins.  I haven't even looked at CLE cap situation, but their front office has shown the ability to do cap gymnastics to create space.  Not that I'm saying that Cleveland will sign Higgins, just want to throw that out as a possibility.

[impactplaya]

(02-01-2024, 08:04 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Not to rain on your cap strapped parade, but Cleveland is very much interested in signing Tee Higgins.  I haven't even looked at CLE cap situation, but their front office has shown the ability to do cap gymnastics to create space.  Not that I'm saying that Cleveland will sign Higgins, just want to throw that out as a possibility.

Living in NE Ohio I listen to my daily fill 
of Browns talk. The Browns are 18 million 
Over the cap. Amari Cooper is owed 24 million 
This year. Nick Chubb is owed big coin this year. 
The Browns can't afford Tee Higgins. They can 
Afford a Darnell Mooney but not Tee Higgins
Plus they gave up a 2nd RD pick for Elijah Moore 
Last year. The Browns front office want to 
Get a return investment on Moore. 
Plus the organization is high on Cedric Tillman.

[NATI BENGALS]

Tag. And they work out an extension as long as Tee accepts a contract that doesn’t make him the highest paid WR in the league.

Zac runs a pass first offense that is very dependent on WRs. We will keep the top free agent WR on our team for our highest paid QB in the league who is attempting a comeback from throwing arm surgery.

[Hammerstripes]

(02-01-2024, 07:28 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Can't they tag him and then play him this year and then let him walk and get a comp pick?  I was under the impression that was sort of business as usual for the Bengals front office.  I mean, it's not like they're going to fire themselves if they get "nothing" in return.

I may be letting my memory get in the way of the facts and stats, I just feel like Mike Brown takes a bit of a "we want you to stay here so we are going to proceed in the manners in which we have control and it's not up to you right now" stance on this stuff.

I think we tag him and he plays and he may be miffed about it, but he will play and as I've stated before Burrow is going to help Tee look like the type of #2 WR too many NFL teams are desperate to pay and crown as their #1 for the Bengals to compete contract-wise.  That's free agency for ya, you can never compensate for situations where desperate GMs who won't be around to suffer the contract/trade if it goes bad make big splashes.  How many NFL teams could make Tee their #1 WR after he puts up another good year with Burrow?  That's why if we want to keep Tee it's probably going to require paying him like a #1 WR, because at least 1 GM out there is going to really NEED him to be a #1 WR in 2025.



That's the other side of having a FO that can't get fired.  We don't have a lame duck GM here making insane trades and contracts he won't be around to suffer through, but we also can't act like the Bengals' FO simply CAN NOT let Tee walk for nothing...because they can.  Mike Brown could trade Tee Higgins for Johnny Manziel and nothing would happen to him.

They could.  The big difference between some of the guys they've tagged in the past and Tee is that there would be a ton of teams that would be interested in trading for a young, #1 WR.  Bates was never going to bring back a first rounder.  Tee would.

I would be more than happy if Tee was traded and we got a first or early 2nd for him.  I'm just not in the camp of letting him walk and possibly getting a late 3rd  (basically 4th round) pick for him.

[*ochocincos*]

I should also add that it's VERY unlikely Higgins doesn't play in 2024 if tagged and no long-term deal.
He's coming off his worst statistical and most-injured season.
Playing on the tag is still beneficial for him to prove he's not injury-prone and can get back to being a 1000+ yard WR.

[depthchart]

(02-01-2024, 07:38 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Of course we all have a shot at eating some crow, but it's not a contest of competitive banter.  There just seems to be a rather distinct line between the fans who are basing their opinions off of their emotional investment into the player, as opposed to the fans who are logically thinking in terms of the bigger financial picture of the team.

31 Votes so far and only 19.35% are saying that he will NOT get Tagged.

That is a lot of "Emotional" Voters (over 80%) saying he gets Tagged.

I am among the 80% but when I think about it, I did wake up feeling a little Cranky today.  

[SunsetBengal]

(02-01-2024, 08:14 PM)impactplaya Wrote: Living in NE Ohio I listen to my daily fill 
of Browns talk. The Browns are 18 million 
Over the cap. Amari Cooper is owed 24 million 
This year. Nick Chubb is owed big coin this year. 
The Browns can't afford Tee Higgins. They can 
Afford a Darnell Mooney but not Tee Higgins
Plus they gave up a 2nd RD pick for Elijah Moore 
Last year. The Browns front office want to 
Get a return investment on Moore. 
Plus the organization is high on Cedric Tillman.

Thank you for giving us the local sports radio thermometer on the topic.  In the past week I've seen at least 3 "Cleveland wants Tee Higgins" articles come across my news feed.  Good to know that it's just guys trying to create news where there is none.

[SunsetBengal]

(02-01-2024, 08:34 PM)depthchart Wrote: 31 Votes so far and only 19.35% are saying that he will NOT get Tagged.

That is a lot of "Emotional" Voters (over 80%) saying he gets Tagged.

I am among the 80% but when I think about it, I did wake up feeling a little Cranky today.  

Like I said, emotional votes, what they "want" to happen as opposed to what likely will and should happen.  Sure, every fan wants a "Superteam" with an unstoppable offense, but let's also face the facts here.  The Bengals went to the Superbowl with Tee Higgins and didn't win in, went back the AFCCG the next year and didn't even win that with him.  This year, he has physical issues, on top of our QB's physical issues.  

The bottom line is that it's simply time for the team to get a new WR2, one that is going to cost much less than $20M.  That moment where that QB and receiver combo was unstoppable has passed, it's time for the next iteration of the Bengals offense.

[Soonerpeace]

(02-01-2024, 08:04 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Not to rain on your cap strapped parade, but Cleveland is very much interested in signing Tee Higgins.  I haven't even looked at CLE cap situation, but their front office has shown the ability to do cap gymnastics to create space.  Not that I'm saying that Cleveland will sign Higgins, just want to throw that out as a possibility.

Never mentioned Cleveland but don’t consider them a title contender and knew they had cap problems.

[Bengal Dude]

Tee gets tagged and will walk after the season. Have the Bengals ever extended a franchise player?

[Nicomo Cosca]

(02-02-2024, 01:37 AM)Bengal Dude Wrote: Tee gets tagged and will walk after the season. Have the Bengals ever extended a franchise player?

One of the kickers maybe? And they were able to get a deal done with Rudi the season they tagged him.