Tee Higgins Won’t Become Packers’ No. 1 Receiver

 Star receiver Tee Higgins almost certainly will not be joining the Green Bay Packers.

According to Bengals On SI’s James Rapien, the Cincinnati Bengals intend to use the franchise tag on Higgins for a second consecutive year, this time with the intention of signing him to a contract extension.

The franchise-tag window will open on Tuesday.

The Packers will be looking to add a high-profile receiver this offseason after their young receiver corps failed to take a step forward in 2024 and with Christian Watson set to miss about half the season with a torn ACL.

Higgins was scheduled to be by far the best receiver available in free agency and perhaps the best player overall. The 6-foot-4 playmaker, who scored six touchdowns in the final six games of the season, could have been a difference-maker for an offense that struggled in the search for high-level consistency in 2024.

While quarterback Jordan Love believes in the team’s receivers, who he grew alongside during his two seasons as a starter, he also was in favor of adding any player that could make a good offense even better.

“Tee’s a phenomenal player,” Love told ESPN at the Super Bowl. “If you add a really good player to a really good offense, I think the sky’s the limit. You can take it in pretty cool places.”

At the Super Bowl, Higgins called Cincinnati a “second home” because of his relationship with the fans.

“Obviously, I would love to be here. I love it here, I love the city, I love the fans, I love the coaching staff, everything in the building, but it’s not in my control,” Higgins told Joe Danneman of Fox 19 in Cincinnati. 

A second-round pick in 2020 – the Packers drafted Love instead of Higgins – Higgins has 330 receptions for 4,595 yards and 34 touchdowns in five seasons. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022, a down season in 2023 and a rebound season of 73 receptions for 911 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2024.

Higgins played a lead role in the Bengals’ late-season run that fell just short of a playoff berth. In his first game back in the lineup after an injury, the Bengals lost 44-38. They won their next five games to end the season. Overall, they went 8-4 when he was in the lineup and 1-4 when he was out of action.

In the four games the Bengals lost when Higgins played, they scored at least 33 points in three games and 27 in the fourth.

“That last little stretch, I did what I needed to do and it helped me out and I feel like I proved my worth,” he said.

This story will be updated.