Higgins was the only skill position player to receive the tag this season and was just one of two players overall in 2025 to get it. The tag affords the Bengals more time to negotiate a long-term deal while preventing Higgins from hitting the open market – a place where Cincinnati likely would have been outbid. It remains to be seen whether it will be a long term extension for the franchise tag once again that Higgins winds up inking this offseason, but one thing is clear: he’ll be with the Bengals for the immediate future. That’s music to fantasy managers’ ears, as Cincinnati is without a doubt the optimal environment for Higgins to be in – he was second in PPR points per game last season (11 games played) and is tied to Joe Burrow as his quarterback. While it would have been fun to see what would have happened if he wound up in New England with Drake Maye or in LA with Justin Herbert, it’s hard to imagine him hitting the same heights he has the past few years with the Bengals in Year 1 of a new offense. The Bengals still face the tall task of navigating negotiations for long-term deals for Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson, and time will tell if they’re able to get all three done this offseason. Chase nearly held out of 2024 early in the season in search of a long-term deal of his own, something that the Bengals brass hasn’t given up easily to either of their star pass catchers.