The Cincinnati Bengals are set to bring back one of the NFL's top wide receiver tandems in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in 2025. The way the franchise has gone about it, however, has rubbed its players the wrong way.
Higgins was given the franchise tag for the second consecutive year on Monday, which means he may be another year from landing the long-term deal he desires. The team has signaled that it wants to sign him to a deal, but if they don't come to an agreement, he'll make $26.2 million this upcoming season.
While Higgins issued a very straightforward, one-word response to the move, his running mate Chase made it pretty clear that he wasn't happy to see it. Now, a Bengals pass-catching great, Chad Johnson has weighed in.
"Disrespectful," Johnson said on ESPN's First Take, when asked for his reaction to Higgins' second franchise tag.
"The first year, alright you tag me, you want me to bet on myself, you can see if I can repeat it and do it again. The second time you tag me, it's like when you like a girl, you're interest in her, and she puts you in the friend zone. I don't really value you long term, so I'm going to put you in the friend zone. At some point, some time, it's allowing the Bengals to buy themselves some time to work out a deal, but if you wanted to work out a deal you would've done it a long time ago."
"Disrespectful." 😳
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 4, 2025
—Former Bengals WR @ochocinco on Tee Higgins receiving the franchise tag 👀 pic.twitter.com/pCzynDUvqA
Johnson reiterated his love for Cincinnati, with whom he played 10 seasons with three All-Pro selections. However, he totally understands why Higgins feels slighted.
Higgins, a former second-round pick out of Clemson, made around $8.7 million over his first four years in the NFL, and earned $21.8 million on last year's franchise tag. The additional $26 million is great money, but it has to be frustrating for a 26-year-old in his prime to be unable to land the type of contract that he—and Johnson—believe he's earned. Spotrac estimates Higgins' market value deal at four years for $101 million.
Higgins was limited to 12 games this season, but was incredibly productive when healthy, catching 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bengals Great Chad Johnson Says Tee Higgins Franchise Tag Is 'Disrespectful'.
