NFL analyst despises Bengals' 'incredibly un-American' $26,200,000 Tee Higgins move 

There were rumors that more than a handful of teams were keeping an eye on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins this summer. The Bengals slapped Higgins with the franchise tag last year, retaining him for another season and the perception around the league was that the Bengals would either hand him a long-term extension this summer or let him hit free agency.

Per multiple reports, it appears the Bengals will go down a third route and franchise tag Higgins once again. Higgins played on a $21.8 million franchise tag, which means they will have to hand Higgins 120% of last season's salary, which amounts to a cool $26.2 million.

The Bengals' rumored decision to down the franchise tag route once again irked NFL analyst Ross Tucker, who explained his train of thought on his podcast.

“I despise the franchise tag, especially this idea that the Bengals would franchise tag Tee Higgins for a second time. I hate everything about it. To me, it’s incredibly un-American.

"Who else out there, with your job right now, has a contract that even when it expires, it doesn’t really expire. They can just keep you for another year and another year after that. You’re not allowed to meet with other prospective employers, not allowed to decide where you might want to live. I just don’t like it.”

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When can the Bengals franchise tag Tee Higgins?

The franchise tag window for the Bengals opened on Feb. 18. Cincinnati will have another two weeks to come to a concrete decision but NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the franchise is still holding out hope of securing a long-term extension to keep the band together.

If the Bengals eventually end up using the franchise tag for the second year running, they have until July 15 to come to terms on an extension with Tee Higgins. Since this is a non-exclusive franchise tag, other teams can still negotiate with Higgins.

If another team manages to prise him away from the Bengals, the franchise will be owed two first-round picks, which makes it even more likely that Higgins will play out the 2025 season alongside Joe Burrow and triple crown winner Ja'Marr Chase.