Jason LaCanfora: Pats really want Higgins "He's going to New England"

[Pape]

Says to me that they know hes worth the projected 26.18 million tag number

I do wonder if the loud clamour of the Patriots chasing Higgins forced their hand in regards to the tag... The bengals have never used the tag twice on a player so I've read...

Time to step up the pressure on Kupp, make it hard for him to say "No"...

 

[ausbacker]

That's interesting as just a few hours ago Florio was speculating no one would get tagged this year

The franchise tag market could be DOA in 2025

The annual two-week window or using the franchise tag opens on Tuesday.

www.nbcsports.com

Tagging Higgins a 2nd time could indicate the Bengals plan to sign him to a multi year deal. It could also be a tag n trade scenario. While there's a chance he plays under the tag for Cincy it seems unlikely, their cap space makes taking that hit this year unattractive to say the least. Higgins could force the team's hand though. Leading to Door Number 3, a situation where he doesn't negotiate with Cincy or a potential trade partner and forces the Bungles to to pull back the tag, making him a FA. That may sound unlikely until one considers the Bungles have 23 players headed for FA along with two major pieces headed into walk years. Taking $26M to pay Higgins on the tag off the top of the $48M they have available would put them up ****'s creek with their remaining negotiations. They really can't afford to have Higgins play on the tag, they need to spread his cost out so he could easily shoot his way out pretty easily if so inclined.

This could get damn interesting

Burrow, Chase, Hendricksen, and Higgins. Have fun with your cap Cincinnati.

 

[JohnJH]

Although I don't put much stock in NESN, something like this is likely to happen: Patriots' Biggest Fear Might Be Coming True With Latest Tee Higgins Report

 

[JohnJH]

Burrow, Chase, Hendricksen, and Higgins. Have fun with your cap Cincinnati.

And Higgins, by being tagged for a 2nd straight year, will be a year older and will have been denied a long term big money contract where he can also be a teams #1 WR and the Bengals will still probably not give him a new contract because it can't afford to pay Burrow (even if he restructures), and Chase (even if he takes a "Hometown Discount), and still be able to maintain the talent they have, nor add to it to be a legit SB Contender. 26 Million is nothing to sneeze at, but considering what he could have gotten last year and this year on the open market, if I were him, I'd be ticked-off.

Fix the OL, add a couple of young RB's in the draft, and sign a couple of FA WR's who can just get open for Maye to help him take the next step just for another year or two (while also hopefully snagging a WR that can be a stud in this years draft). Then perhaps get a young FA WR next year and continue to find solid WR's in the next couple of drafts (which we haven't been doing). And, build up the DL and rest of the defense.

 

[slash83]

And that’s why the Bengals will not win a SB anytime soon.

 

[varjao]

That's interesting as just a few hours ago Florio was speculating no one would get tagged this year

The franchise tag market could be DOA in 2025

The annual two-week window or using the franchise tag opens on Tuesday.

www.nbcsports.com

Tagging Higgins a 2nd time could indicate the Bengals plan to sign him to a multi year deal. It could also be a tag n trade scenario. While there's a chance he plays under the tag for Cincy it seems unlikely, their cap space makes taking that hit this year unattractive to say the least. Higgins could force the team's hand though. Leading to Door Number 3, a situation where he doesn't negotiate with Cincy or a potential trade partner and forces the Bungles to to pull back the tag, making him a FA. That may sound unlikely until one considers the Bungles have 23 players headed for FA along with two major pieces headed into walk years. Taking $26M to pay Higgins on the tag off the top of the $48M they have available would put them up ****'s creek with their remaining negotiations. They really can't afford to have Higgins play on the tag, they need to spread his cost out so he could easily shoot his way out pretty easily if so inclined.

This could get damn interesting

He is in position to hold out and not looking bad like Ayuk last year.

He will want a big contract with a big guaranteed part. He is 26, he can sign another big contract after this one he is about to sign but this is the one he will be set for life. He can totally say franchise tag my ass and force their hand. He is the top free agent in the market.

 

[Rob0729]

I still think this is more likely a tag and trade scenario. It would be a smart move by the Bengals to try to get some value for Higgins. I doubt he can get remotely as much as other WRs like Tyreek Hill got, but they might be able to get a second rounder for him.

Whether the Bengals plan to keep him or tag and trade him, it clearly isn't a good thing for the Pats if he was high on their priorities.

 

[maust]

Although I don't put much stock in NESN, something like this is likely to happen: Patriots' Biggest Fear Might Be Coming True With Latest Tee Higgins Report

NESN was never very good but they have truly fallen off the cliff with their Pats reporting, the last few years have outright sucked

 

[TheRainMaker]

I still think this is more likely a tag and trade scenario. It would be a smart move by the Bengals to try to get some value for Higgins. I doubt he can get remotely as much as other WRs like Tyreek Hill got, but they might be able to get a second rounder for him.

Whether the Bengals plan to keep him or tag and trade him, it clearly isn't a good thing for the Pats if he was high on their priorities.

You can't tag and trade. Those days are over after what the Pats did with Cassel in 2008. If the player has a brain, he can get the tag removed like Foles did after the 2017 season. Josh Norman was a previous case as well.

 

[Rob0729]

You can't tag and trade. Those days are over after what the Pats did with Cassel in 2008. If the player has a brain, he can get the tag removed like Foles did after the 2017 season. Josh Norman was a previous case as well.

Last year, there were two players tagged and traded. Brian Burns was tagged and traded by the Panthers. L’Jarius Sneed was tagged and traded by the Chiefs.

Not sure where you got that you cannot tag and trade a player.

 

[Love The Drake]

Last year, there were two players tagged and traded. Brian Burns was tagged and traded by the Panthers. L’Jarius Sneed was tagged and traded by the Chiefs.

Not sure where you got that you cannot tag and trade a player.

I was shocked by this because Goodell had said he didn’t want teams taking advantage of the franchise tag with the intention on tagging just to trade,
Now these teams must be saying we tried to lock them up but couldn’t agree so we traded their rights to a team they signed off and agreed to.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Last year, there were two players tagged and traded. Brian Burns was tagged and traded by the Panthers. L’Jarius Sneed was tagged and traded by the Chiefs.

Not sure where you got that you cannot tag and trade a player.

The players allowed it. That's why.

Aiyuk was tagged, but refused to go the Pats after a deal between the 49ers and Patriots was in place. Teams aren't going to blindly trade for a player without knowing whether he agrees to play for them and will sign a new contract. Edit: Aiyuk wasn't tagged.

But if a player feels the team isn't negotiating in good faith or something obvious like the Eagles clearly wern't going to sign Foles - the NFL will force the team to remove the tag.

 

[Joey007]

I still think this is more likely a tag and trade scenario. It would be a smart move by the Bengals to try to get some value for Higgins. I doubt he can get remotely as much as other WRs like Tyreek Hill got, but they might be able to get a second rounder for him.

Whether the Bengals plan to keep him or tag and trade him, it clearly isn't a good thing for the Pats if he was high on their priorities.

Yep. Do remember the Chiefs did this last year with Sneed for a 3. Wonder if we could trade a 2 for Higgins.

 

[lancerman]

And once again we see that there are no freebies at WR and teams actually value them to not let them walk easily.

If someone thinks we are going to get a real #1 without either a huge trade, a major draft pick investment or a market setting contract they are sadly mistaken.

 

[Brotherblues]

How about offering the Judon pick for Higgins?

 

[lancerman]

Yep. Do remember the Chiefs did this last year with Sneed for a 3. Wonder if we could trade a 2 for Higgins.

Higgins isn't going for a 2. We traded a 1 for Cooks for a 1 year flyer. The consensus is Higgins is a WR1. At best maybe you trade down and get an extra 2 and trade a first rounder in the teens or twenties for him.

 

[mgteich]

How about offering the Judon pick for Higgins?

Higgins is an unsigned FA who will soon be an unsigned franchise pick.

Are you suggesting offering a pick to CIN when Higgins signs his tag in July.

At best, he will sign it before the draft if some team will give him a great deal.
=======
understand that CIN will have the franchise tag counting against them all during the initial weeks of free agency.

 

[Rob0729]

The players allowed it. That's why.

Aiyuk was tagged, but refused to go the Pats after a deal between the 49ers and Patriots was in place. Teams aren't going to blindly trade for a player without knowing whether he agrees to play for them and a deal is in place.

But if a player feels the team isn't negotiating in good faith or something obvious like the Eagles clearly wern't going to sign Foles - the NFL will force the team to remove the tag.

From the day the franchise tag was created, a player always had the power to block a trade under the franchise tag by refusing to do a long term deal. Gronk blocked a trade to Detroit without even being on the franchise tag.

For a tag and trade to happen, the acquiring team has to get a long term deal in place. Otherwise, they are not trading. The player always had the power to refuse to do a long term deal with a team they didn’t want to go to.

Now you are assuming Higgins would refuse to be tagged and traded. He may be willing to do so. I am sure he will not be happy playing another year on the franchise tag since he can make far more money with a long term deal. $26 million may be a huge cap hit for the Bengals, but it less than he is likely to get a year in a long term deal.

 

[Ross12]

I think this won’t work out well for them.

Higgins is going to be PISSED that the Bengals are, once again, denying him the chance to get his big long term deal. In his mind I’m sure he sees them as just repeatedly screwing him over every year for several years now.

I’m betting he tells them that he will refuse to sign or play on the tag. I don’t think Cincinnati actually wants to pay him and keep him this year anyway, this is purely a move to extract trade value. They can try to trade him, but teams may not offer much if they know that Cincinnati doesn’t actually want to keep him. Teams can call their bluff and low-ball or just wait it out. Higgins’ agent will also make it clear that he has no intentions of playing in Cincinnati in 2025 either, depressing their leverage further in trade talks.

If they wanted to pursue a tag and trade, they should’ve done it last year.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Mike Brown actually used to use Frank Coyles paperback Draft Guide instead of a scouting department.