Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith were the only two NFL players to receive the franchise tag before Tuesday's deadline. ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted that Evan Kaplan reported that the total number of two players was the fewest tagged since 1994.

The Vikings didn't tag QB Sam Darnold, which means the 2018 top-three pick may have a chance to land a huge payday on the open market.

Dec 16, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) gestures toward the official after catching a touchdown pass as Minnesota Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans (21) defends in the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-Imagn Images / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-Imagn Images

NFL analyst Mina Kimes thinks the Patriots should be checking with the Bengals about a possible Tee Higgins trade.

Cincinnati Bengals star receiver Tee Higgins mom took to social media to voice her displeasure with the team as they franchised Higgins again on Tuesday denying him the right to take advantage of unrestricted free agency.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin reiterated last week at the NFL scouting combine that one of his top priorities is to get a deal done with Higgins. “You can pull up three years ago, talking about doing a long-term deal with Tee and here ...

Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals As if the Bengals didn ... On the season, Smith had one of the lowest sack percentages (0.2) among NFL offensive linemen. He might not be the best guard in football ...

ESPN NFL analyst Dan Graziano and Sam Acho reacted to Monday's news that the Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on would-be free-agent receiver Tee Higgins for the second time.