Ex-NFL QB rips Bengals over Tee Higgins' second straight franchise tag

Tee Higgins is getting a franchise tag from the Cincinnati Bengals for the second straight time in his career. But even though the organization is reportedly planning to give him a long-term extension afterward, at least one person said that it did not need to happen.

On his social media account on Monday to respond to the development, former quarterback-turned-commentator Chase Daniel said:

"Tee CAN NOT be happy about this."

The five-year wideout is coming off a rebound season that saw him catch 109 passes for 911 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns.

Quarterback Joe Burrow called re-signing him "a need" after a win over the Dallas Cowboys:

“I'm confident that I think we're gonna be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back. I know that I'm gonna do what it takes to get him back, and so is he. We've had those talks. Those are gonna be offseason discussions, but we're excited about that opportunity.”

He reiterated his stance after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers:

"Whenever a great player leaves, you wish you could have found a way to keep them. You don't want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building. I think that's why you got to do everything you can to get those deals done early."

Once the news broke out, Higgins posted: "tag."

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How Bengals franchise-tagging Tee Higgins might affect Patriots' WR needs

One team that may be concerned at seeing Tee Higgins being upset at the franchise tagged is the New England Patriots. The AFC East's former overlords have had a rough stretch, including consecutive 4-13 records in the past two seasons, owing to a lack of potent wideouts ever since Julian Edelman retired in 2020. In fact, they were dead-last in passing/receiving yards at 3,343 and second-to-last in passing/receiving touchdowns at 18 in 2024.

Boston.com's Conor Ryan believes that the development represents an unexpected obstacle towards de facto GM Eliot Wolf's plan to attract a top-tier wideout for Drake Maye. However, there are still other options on hand:

1. Get another free agent like Chris Godwin, who is coming off an ankle injury that ended his 2024 season at 50 receptions over 576 yards and five touchdowns in seven games.
2. Trade out of #4.
3. Put a few Day 2 picks in a trade package, then trade said picks for a mid-to-late first-rounder that could net them Tyler Warren, Matthew Golden, or Luther Burden III/
4. Trade for someone like Cooper Kupp

The new league year will begin next week.