Like a tiger mother defends her cubs, this Bengals' mother defended her son.
Wide receiver Tee Higgins' mom took to social media on Friday and said it was "disrespectful as hell" when the Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on her son Tuesday.
Higgins will earn $26.2 million in 2025, according to spotrac.com. Not a meager wage, it is the average of the top five salaries at his position. ... so while we understand anybody's characterization of Cincy management as "cheap''?
We're not quite sure we see the tag as "disrespectful.''
This is not the first time Higgins' mom, whose name is Lady came to his defense. When she learned he was going to get tagged she went on Instagram and called the Bengals front office "selfish (expletives)."
Higgins caught 73 passes from Joe Burrow last season for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The former Clemson star was also tagged last season and the parties have been unable to reach an accord on a new long-term deal.
The Bengals have also decided not to negotiate an extension with edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who was given permission to try and work out a trade. Hendrickson amassed 35 sacks over the last two seasons and the Bengals are letting him find a way out of town as opposed to negotiating an extension.
Related: Bengals Consider Options for Star Wideout Tee Higgins After Franchise Tag
Cincinnati also has his fellow wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase playing on a club option fifth year. They have not offered him an extension. It appears as though next season they are going to have pay one or both of them as they can only tag one of the two.
They have one of the highest paid quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and he is going to have two unhappy wide receivers to throw to. Perhaps this is why players leave Cincinnati when their contracts are up. It is definitely why the Bengals spend most years picking in the top half of the NFL Draft.
Related: Bengals Keep Tee Higgins with Second Franchise Tag, But What's Next?
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM.
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