Are the Dallas Cowboys - who are, ahem, also notoriously frugal in these matters (when it comes to "outside'' free agents) - prepared to swoop in on franchise-tagged Tee Higgins?
FRISCO - The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly reached a decision on potentially using the NFL franchise tag on Tee Higgins.
On Tuesday, the franchise tag window will officially opens and it seems the plan is for the Bengals to use the tag - at the very least as a "placeholder'' - as they attempt to come to a long-term contract agreement with the star receiver.
The tag is set to be worth about $26 million, so even if no deal is struck, Higgins will get that amount, fully guaranteed, for the 2025 season.
Even as both sides continue to work on getting a long-term extension completed, with the deadline for that on July 15, other bidders can swoop in with offers to pry Higgins loose from a Bengals franchise that is notoriously frugal in these matters.
Are the Dallas Cowboys - who are, ahem, also notoriously frugal in these matters (when it comes to "outside'' free agents) - prepared to swoop?
If the Cowboys are going to compete for a championship with an offense centered around Dak Prescott as a franchise quarterback, they need offensive weaponry.
Not coincidentally, the beauty of Prescott's contract - massive as it is - is that its structure does allow Dallas to chase those expensive weapons.
Until you see it in black-and-white, there is no counting on a "promise'' here, even as Jerry and Stephen Jones have suggested a willingness to change their approach to free agency.
But there is "potential,'' in the form of a possible $100 million in cap room for 2025.
Chief among the key positions of is receiver, where Dallas relied heavily on CeeDee Lamb but struggled with poor depth and consistency for much of the season.
Want a quick fix? Signing the biggest contract in free agency might do the trick.
Yes, that is probably what it will take to steal Higgins from the Bengals ... and with the tag, it'll mean a trade might be needed to pull it off.
Speaking to the Cincinnati Enquirer recently, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin expressed that a reunion is possible but not imminent.
"We feel like we have the resources to do it," Tobin said, "but it all depends on how the negotiation goes and whether they're willing to accept wanting to come back at a number that makes sense for everybody. And you know what we do with Tee going forward, I've always been very upfront in my desire to have Tee Higgins on our team.
“I've never not been upfront about that, and that desire continues, but we have to be able to come together with his representation on what that means and what the right number is for his experience, for his play time, for his production."
Tobin's conservative language surely sounds familiar to Dallas fans as it echoes what COO Stephen often says about not wanting to pay "great money to good players.''
The Bengals - assuming they want to truly contend - have little reason to let Higgins walk, outside of the same cap constraints that Dallas always complains about.
It remains possible that Higgins surpasses that $30 million mark, as the top receivers - including Lamb at $34 million APY - already do. That's a scary price to pay.
But look at Higgins' work with Ja’Marr Chase in Cincy; that's pretty scary for opponents, as a Lamb/Higgins pairing would be here.
To be sure, this sort of pursuit would mark a change in the way Dallas does its business. But the addition of a star like Higgins, who posted 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 12 games, is the sort of alteration that can allow the Cowboys to "remodel'' quickly. ...
And it's the sort of move - a "swoop'' - that would cause a presently-cynical Cowboys Nation to stand up and take notice of the Joneses' suggested "change.''
