After much speculation surrounding Tee Higgins' status for the 2025 season, the Cincinnati Bengals have officially placed the franchise tag on the star receiver. Higgins first dropped on the news in a one-word post on X that simply read, 'tag.' NFL Insider Ian Rapoport confirmed the news. Now it's officially time for Pittsburgh Steelers fans to let go of their dream.
It's not surprising to see Higgins get the franchise tag slapped on him for the second year in a row. The 6'4'' wide receiver is a matchup nightmare the Bengals couldn't afford to lose, and the front office did everything in their power to keep a lethal passing game in Cincy.
The #Bengals have, in fact, franchise tagged WR Tee Higgins a second time, per @teehiggins5.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 3, 2025
No surprise, as Cincy is not in the business of letting good players walk away. They’ll hope to do a long-term deal after the more than $26M tag. pic.twitter.com/XW56WgiW6a
But delivering a double gut punch to the Bengals would have been a dream for Steelers fans.
Not only could Pittsburgh have added a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver in free agency, but they could have poached the most sought-after free agent from a major divisional rival. This one move would have boosted the Steelers' passing game while hamstringing Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Sadly, that dream is officially dead, and it's time for Steelers fans to set their sights on more attainable free agency goals.
Pittsburgh Steelers could still make a splash in free agency without Tee Higgins
While Tee Higgins was just days away from becoming an unrestricted free agent, it was never realistic to think he would have wound up with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Higgins would have been the best overall player on the market, which means a dozen or so teams could have gotten into a bidding war for his services—a bidding war the Steelers were destined to lose.
Based on historic trends, the Steelers wouldn't have been the team to fork up a significant overpay for the top free-agent wide receiver. Their biggest free agent signing in history, in terms of average annual salary, was linebacker Patrick Queen last year at just over $13.6 million per season. Higgins would have gone for well over twice that number had he hit the market.
But just because Higgins is no longer an option doesn't mean the Steelers can't make a splash in free agency.
This free-agent wide receiver group indeed leaves some to be desired. However, if the Steelers still want to make a splash, they could go after a veteran like Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper, or Stefon Diggs. If they are willing to set the bar a bit lower, Darius Slayton and Demarcus Robinson are receivers who could be attained on more reasonable contracts.
However, Pittsburgh's roster needs stretch far beyond the wide receiver position. If they are desperate to sign a high-profile free agent, they could always throw their hat in the ring for a defensive lineman like Milton Williams or offensive guard Teven Jenkins.
The Steelers also have a significant deficiency and depth issues at cornerback. Pittsburgh could fork up for a boundary cornerback like Charvarius Ward to pair with Joey Porter Jr. or a player with inside-out versatility like Byron Murphy.
None of these free agents by themselves would have the impact of a player like Tee Higgins, but there is more than enough available talent for the Pittsburgh Steelers to land an impressive haul during the 2025 free agency period.