The Cincinnati Bengals slapped a franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins and have until the middle of July to negotiate a long-term deal with him, but an NFL writer seems to think the chances of that happening are very slim.

Will Brinson of CBS Sports does not believe that the Bengals will trade Higgins this offseason, but he thinks the star wide out will be a one-and-done with Cincinnati in 2024.

Brinson cites ownership’s history of dealing with players on franchise tags as his reasoning.

He mentions former receiver A.J. Green, who signed a franchise tender with Cincy in 2020 only to play there one more reason before ending his career with the Arizona Cardinals.

Brinson also notes safety Jessie Bates III, who was tagged by the Bengals and lasted one more season before moving on to the Atlanta Falcons.

Essentially, Brinson is stating that Cincinnati has historically not used the franchise tag with the idea of working out an extension. Instead, the Bengals merely do it to keep the player around for one extra year before cutting them loose.

If that is what Cincinnati ends up doing with Higgins, it wouldn’t be too surprising.

After all, trade rumors surrounded Higgins in the lead-up to the Oct. 31 deadline this past year, and there was plenty of chatter that Cincy was actually prepared to move on from him after the season was over.

Remember: the Bengals also have to worry about paying fellow wide out Ja’Marr Chase, who is eligible for an extension this offseason and is the team’s clear No. 1 pass-catcher.

Cincinnati may not want to dole out expensive contracts to two wide receivers, as that wouldn’t exactly be the most economical use of financial resources.

Barring a change in circumstances, the Bengals will probably keep Tee Higgins through 2024 and then allow him to take his talents elsewhere next spring.

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