NFL free agency is set to start on March 12th, but ahead of that many teams will weigh whether or not to exercise their franchise tag on valuable players. The San Francisco 49ers could be out of luck if the Cincinnati Bengals decide to use the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Reports suggest that Higgins is one of the top candidates to receive a franchise tag from his team ahead of free agency. After how dominant Cincinnati's offense looked for much of the 2024 season, it makes sense it would want to keep everything intact on that side of the ball.
While Higgins is the No. 2 target for Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow after Ja'Marr Chase, the former is still a very good receiver. Last season in just 12 games, he had 73 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. He does have a history of injury troubles, but when Higgins is healthy and on the field, he can be elite.
It does not come as a huge surprise the 49ers have been seen as a potential landing spot for Higgins if he does reach free agency without the Bengals placing a franchise tag on him. The 26-year-old product out of Clemson seems to be a perfect fit for what the Niners need on offense.
Standing at 6-foot-4, he would be the tallest wide receiver on the team and would give the offense a legit red-zone threat to go along with tight end George Kittle. The 49ers struggled to score touchdowns at times when they got into the red zone last season, so Higgins could be just what they need to score six points instead of three in 2025.
Plus, with wide receiver Deebo Samuel requesting a trade, the 49ers have a chance to reinvent their offense to a certain extent. Without the bruising physicality of Samuel at the heart of the offense like it was for so long, they can add a weapon like Higgins who can beat opposing cornerbacks with his height rather than running through them.
Higgins would not come cheap, though. He would command a fairly sizable contract, which may be tough to do especially with the 49ers trying to figure out quarterback Brock Purdy's contract extension.
This may all end up being a moot point, though, if the Bengals franchise tag Higgins. They will surely do all they can to keep Chase and Higgins together with Burrow for as long as possible.
If they do end up tagging him, the 49ers may be losing out on a dream free-agent target who would have helped transform their offense.
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