Patriots Target Tee Higgins Gives 1-Word Reply to Franchise Tag as Showdown Begins
Tee Higgins is regarded by many as the #1 free agent of the 2025 cycle, although the consensus opinion has remained that the Cincinnati Bengals will apply the franchise tag to him prior to Tuesday’s deadline. And the Bengals have done exactly that, following suit from the Kansas City Chiefs, who tagged guard, Trey Smith […]
Getty
Tee Higgins
Tee Higgins is regarded by many as the #1 free agent of the 2025 cycle, although the consensus opinion has remained that the Cincinnati Bengals will apply the franchise tag to him prior to Tuesday’s deadline.
And the Bengals have done exactly that, following suit from the Kansas City Chiefs, who tagged guard, Trey Smith on Thursday.
Even if Cincinnati still expect him to leave this spring, the team will anticipate getting renumeration in the form of, at minimum, a 1st round pick in the 2025 draft, if they are to trade him on the franchise tag. If he had hit the open market, the team would have received a maximum of a late third round compensatory pick the following year’s draft, in 2026.
Not one to stay silent, having already posted a puzzling message on X just last week, Higgins had a slightly strange, if straightforward way of breaking the news to the world.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
What Does Higgins Mean By “tag.”?There is not a ton of material to breakdown here – but it is pretty safe to say the tone (small case and a curt period) pretty clearly doesn’t showcase avid enthusiasm for the team’s decision.
Higgins was expected by many to command a salary of upwards of $30 million/year this offseason on the free agent market, with the New England Patriots expected to be major players to land the receiver going into his 6th year.
With the franchise tag applied, Higgins will be guaranteed $26 million in 2025, somewhat short of what he could and may still get if he is to be moved this offseason.
How Does This Affect The Patriots’ Chances At Landing Higgins?Tee Higgins has been one of the Patriots top targets this free agency, if he becomes available. With nearly $130 million in cap space, and holes at receiver and tackle addressing the receiver need in free agency makes a lot of sense – particularly given the team could well be poised to select the draft’s top tackle, Will Campbell, with the third overall pick this April.
The problem for the Patriots is that after this new development, they don’t really have a 1st round pick to trade, lest they do a pick swap or include their high second rounder (38th overall) as part of a package deal for the 4,500 yard wideout.
But that could be more than New England’s brass is willing to pay as the team attempts a clean, strategic rebuild through the draft around new franchise quarterback, Drake Maye; with former Patriot and ex Tennessee Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel, leading the charge.
There is also the very possible cause of action that the Bengals do not actually want to trade Higgins for picks, and intend on keeping him with the organization long-term. Cincinnati are already concurrently trying to negotiate out what will likely be a record-setting contract for All-Pro WR1, Ja’Marr Chase.
Between Chase, Joe Burrow – who signed a 5 year, $275 million deal in 2023 – and Higgins, the team will have a considerable amount dedicated to an offense that hummed in 2024, but was ultimately let down by one of the league’s worst defenses, ranking 25th out of 32 teams in both scoring and total defense.
The feasibility issues with Higgins’ deal could open the market up for the Patriots to slide in and trade for the best receiver – or indeed player – on this year’s free agency big board, but right now it’s all to play for.
The 63-year-old rom-com queen reunited with her When Harry Met Sally leading man Billy Crystal to present the award for best picture during the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Teyana Taylor and Aaron Pierre seemingly debuted their romance as they made their way through the 2025 Oscar after-party circuit, including a stop at Vanity Fair’s annual event.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Stars showed off their figures at the 2025 Oscars on Sunday, March 2, in super sexy sheer dresses
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
“I’m happy to be nominated,” the hitmaker behind songs for Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Cher and Lady Gaga said later at the Vanity Fair’s post-Oscars party.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Macaulay Culkin celebrated his brother Kieran Culkin's win at the 97th Academy Awards for his supporting role in Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been together for decades, and a funny moment in their relationship was recorded in a throwback video at the 1989 Oscars.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
SYDNEY (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs is part of a plan to "level the playing field" that he views as unfair, but the end result remains uncertain, Goldman Sachs chair and CEO David Solomon told a conference in Australia. "The president firmly believes that there are imbalances with respect to how trade exists, and he has a strong point of view that he wants to level the playing field aggressively," Solomon told the Australian Financial Review Business Summit in Sydney. Asked about a forecast shared at the same conference by investment giant Blackstone chair and CEO Stephen Schwarzman that the U.S. had no chance of experiencing a recession in 2025, Solomon said: "The chance of recession in 2025 is small but it's not zero."
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Here are the viewership numbers for the 2025 Oscars across ABC and Hulu.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
18.1 million viewers tuned into Sunday's Oscars, the show's first viewership drop in four years.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Maura Higgins commented on a Danny Jones Instagram post which, amid the saga around the BRITS afterparty kiss, has caused quite the stir on the social media site
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
While the Oscar winner may spend weekdays moderating discussions on The View, Goldberg hopes Whoopi Prosecco will inspire fruitful debate at home too.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Doja Cat and Raye have addressed the criticism of their James Bond tribute at the Oscars -- 'nerves got to me and a bitch hit some flats,' said Doja.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
SHOPPERS have hailed a UK supermarket giant as huge Cadbury Easter eggs are slashed to £3.50 from £6. The chocolate eggs are on sale for £6 but if you’re a Morrisons More Card member, youR…
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Oscars diversity wins in 2025 are more about the inclusion of more countries, like Brazil with 'I'm Still Here.'
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Oscars diversity wins in 2025 are more about the inclusion of more countries, like Brazil with 'I'm Still Here.'
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.