Tee Higgins expects to play for the Bengals this season

After the Bengals placed the franchise tag on receiver Tee Higgins, he requested a trade. A month later, nothing has changed.

But Higgins said Sunday that he expects to play for the Bengals this season.

“I expect soHiggins said via video from WXIX-TV's Charlie Clifford. “I developed a love for Cincinnati that I never thought I would. [I’m] We look forward to it.”

Higgins and the Bengals have talked for two years without reaching a long-term agreement. They have until 4pm ET on July 15 to negotiate a new deal.

The one-year, fully guaranteed franchise tag will pay Higgins $21.8 million.

Safety Jesse Betts played 2022 on the franchise tag before leaving on a four-year, $64.02 million deal with the Falcons in the 2023 season. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time last season.

Eight teams have used the franchise tag this season, with Higgins and Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. among them. The only players who have not yet signed a contract extension.

Higgins, 25, played 12 games last season, missing four games with a fractured rib and then Week 18 with a hamstring issue. He caught 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns, all career lows.

Higgins had 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022 and has 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns in his four seasons in Cincinnati, making him a second-round pick in 2020.