The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed wide receiver Tee Higgins to a one-year contract following his recent holdout, the team announced on Monday (June 17).
Higgins, 25, who was named as the Bengals' designated franchise player on February 26, was in the final year of his rookie contract prior to the agreement.
"I'm excited to move forward with Tee," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor via Bengals.com. "He's done a great job handling his situation, and we are happy to get him back in the fold so we can start working toward a great 2024 season. The locker room will be excited to have him back around."
Higgins made multiple trade requests this offseason, which included a request made hours ahead of the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25 and after being franchise-tagged in March. Cincinnati notified Higgins of its intention to apply the franchise tag on February 26.
The former second-round pick was reportedly expected to be paid around $21.8 million for the 2024 season as part of the franchise tag, though many suspected it could've instead been used a placeholder for the Bengals to negotiate a long-term extension before the mid-July deadline. Higgins appeared in just 11 games in 2023 due to rib and hamstring injuries, but was once again productive, recording 42 receptions for 656 yards and five touchdowns during his fourth NFL season.