Star Bengals receiver reportedly not expected to sign franchise tender soon

Despite finishing with a winning record, last season was a disappointing one for the Cincinnati Bengals. After making it to the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl in each of the two previous years, not even making the playoffs was a massive letdown for the Bengals and their fans.

Cincinnati will be looking to get back on track during the upcoming season. However, its attempt to return to being a top contender in the AFC will be made more difficult if it is unable to retain the services of wide receiver Tee Higgins.

In February, the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins instead of letting the talented pass-catcher land with another team in free agency. Since then, Cincinnati and the 25-year-old receiver have been unable to reach any sort of agreement on a new contract, and it doesn't sound like there is going to be a resolution anytime soon.

On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that Higgins still has not signed his franchise tender with the Bengals, and it's unlikely that he will sign it by next week. What this means, as Schefter pointed out, is that the wide receiver cannot join Cincinnati out on the practice field for the team's OTA practice sessions this spring until he signs.

Higgins has until July 15th to sign his franchise tender or work out a new contract with the Bengals. Once this date passes, he will either have to play next season under the terms of the franchise tender or sit out for the entire 2024 campaign. He will also be ineligible to play for another team in 2024 if no agreement is reached with Cincinnati by July 15.

The Bengals would definitely love to have Higgins back out on the field as soon as possible, as he has been a great No. 2 wide receiver to pair with star pass-catcher Ja'Marr Chase during the last few seasons.

In two of the last three years, Higgins has finished his season with at least 70 catches, 1,000 receiving yards and five touchdowns.