Bengals' Tee Higgins: Not expected for start of OTAs

Higgins is not expected to sign his franchise tender by the end of the week, which will make him ineligible to report in time for the start of OTAs next week, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Higgins formally requested a trade from Cincinnati after the team placed the franchise tag on him prior to free agency. He appeared to have a change of heart in April, as the wideout hinted that he anticipated playing for the Bengals in 2024 at his youth camp, per Ben Baby of ESPN.com. It remains to be seen if that will occur via the franchise tag or the long-term extension the pass catcher has been seeking. As of now, it looks like this conflict will linger into OTAs.