The Cincinnati Bengals put the franchise tag on Tee Higgins for the second straight year, but this time around, they're hoping that they can come to an agreement on a long-term deal. Other teams around the league probably don't know that, and they've been reaching out to see if Higgins is available. Unfortunately for them, the Bengals are keeping the same stance they've had since the beginning, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

“Multiple teams have contacted the Bengals about the availability of Tee Higgins after Cincinnati placed the franchise tag on him Monday, per sources. They’ve been told the receiver remains unavailable as the Bengals continue to pursue a long-term deal,” Russini wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Higgins is one of the Bengals' core pieces, and they want to make sure they reward him for his strong play. Over the the past few weeks, they've been opening up cap space for moves, and they may not be done if they want to open up more. Higgins isn't the only player the Bengals are trying to extend, but JaMarr Chase and Trey Hendrickson are the other two who are looking for long-term deals.

Bengals want long-term deal with Tee Higgins

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) goes live on social media after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
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It's not certain what the market price is for Tee Higgins, but after a big season last year, he's going to get paid top dollar and it shouldn't be a surprise. Throughout his career with the Bengals, he's been a solid No. 2 receiver next to JaMarr Chase and has been known to show up in big moments.

The one person who wants all of this to work out for the team is Joe Burrow, which is the person who's throwing Higgins the ball. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher noted that the team listens to Burrow and values his opinion on what they do when it comes to situations like this.

“We have implicit trust in Joe… He’s earned a position within the organization that his opinions and what he thinks we should do needs to be accounted for and valued. And I think we’re doing that,” Pitcher said via Bengals reporter Olivia Ray on X, formerly Twitter.

It could be a big offseason for the Bengals, and if they're able to get Higgins, JaMarr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson new deals, that's a success. Letting one of them go would not be in the best interest of the team, so they have to do what they can to get their guys back.