Cincinnati, Ohio – The Bengals’ organization shared their thoughts on receiver Tee Higgins on Tuesday afternoon, sparking a cryptic response from Higgins later that evening. In a subtle move, Higgins posted a single cap emoji on Twitter, a gesture often interpreted as a sign that someone is being deceitful.
The controversy seems to stem from Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin’s statement regarding the team’s alleged plans to secure Higgins with a long-term contract. With the franchise tag already applied to Higgins in 2024 at a considerable rate of $21.8 million, any subsequent use of the tag in 2025 would lead to a 20-percent increase, bringing the amount to $26.16 million. This figure serves as the foundation for negotiating a multi-year agreement.
Higgins may suspect that the Bengals are merely going through the motions of negotiating a long-term deal with the underlying intention of tagging him for another season, or possibly even trading him. His decision to post the cap emoji on the same day that Tobin made the declaration about a long-term contract suggests that Higgins doubts the sincerity of the team’s intentions.
The Bengals have until Tuesday, March 4, to make a decision regarding tagging Higgins for another season, giving them until mid-July to convert the one-year tender offer into a more permanent arrangement. As the situation unfolds, Higgins may opt to wait and observe whether the team chooses to tag him a second time, a move that would limit the Bengals’ or any other team’s ability to use the franchise tag on him in the future.
Ultimately, the negotiation process with Higgins remains shrouded in uncertainty, with conflicting signals from both sides leaving the outcome in question. The looming deadline for the Bengals to make a decision adds further pressure to the already tense situation, as Higgins weighs his options and considers the implications of each possible scenario. The cap emoji may be a simple symbol, but its implications in this context speak volumes about the underlying tensions and suspicions surrounding the contract negotiations.