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When Eagles’ vast receiver DeVonta Smith will get a minute, he ought to ship a “thanks” notice to the Cincinnati Bengals’ entrance workplace. They only made his upcoming contract negotiations a lot simpler.
On Monday, the Bengals introduced they are going to use the franchise tag on vast receiver Tee Higgins. The 25-year-old vast receiver has performed in 58 video games as a Bengal making 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Higgins led Cincinnati with 908 yards and 6 touchdowns as a rookie in 2020, however he’s been the staff’s No. 2 receiver since Ja’Marr Chase got here on board a yr later. However with a one-year deal price $21.8M below the franchise tag, he’ll be paid like a No.1 receiver in 2024.
In the meantime, Philadelphia’s Smith is coming into the ultimate season of his rookie contract. The 25-year-old vast receiver has performed in 50 video games as an Eagle making 240 catches for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns.
He led Philadelphia with 916 yards and 5 touchdowns as a rookie in 2021, however he’s been the Eagle’s No. 2 receiver for the reason that staff traded for A.J. Brown in 2022. However now that Higgins can be paid like a top-5 receiver below the tag, the worth for No. 2 receivers simply went up.
Smith is scheduled to make $1M in base wage subsequent yr with a $6.4M cap hit after bonuses. The staff has till Might 2 to train a fifth-year choice that will pay him $15.5M in 2025, in response to overthecap.com.
With an additional $13M in cap area accessible for all NFL groups, Philadelphia could be clever to supply Smith what Higgins is about to make. As soon as Professional Bowl gamers like Chase and the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb hit the market in 2025, the common wage for vast receivers will improve considerably.
Perhaps that’s why Smith instructed the Philadelphia Inquirer he’s in “no hurry” to get a deal completed. All of the extra cause to increase him now.
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