Story we are following from NBC Sports: Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins could become a free agent when the new league year starts in March, but the team has two ways to keep that from happening. They could sign him to a long-term deal or they could use a franchise tag to keep him from hitting the open market and extending the time to negotiate a new deal until mid-July. If no deal came before that point, Higgins would have the choice of sitting out or playing the 2024 season with a guaranteed salary that is projected to be $20.7 million. Paul Dehner of TheAthletic.com reports that the team is expected to use the latter option and apply the franchise tag to Higgins. He notes that the team has the cap space to carry that salary in the 2024 season and that Joe Burrow’s cap number remains relatively low in 2024 before jumping up by nearly $20 million in 2025. The overall makeup of the wide receiver market might also make it a plus for Higgins to wait on signing a multi-year deal. With receivers like Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk, Michael Pittman Jr., and fellow Bengal Ja’Marr Chase closing in on new deals, Higgins could benefit from a reset market by moving for a longer deal at some point in the future. Any tags must be issued by March 5, so there will be clarity on the Bengals’ plans in the near future. Story from SI: CINCINNATI — The frustrations are evident for Cincinnati after another home loss in the Big 12. UC dropped a crucial game on Tuesday 68-59 to Iowa State. Head coach Wes Miller declared they will figure it out. "I'm sorry I'm just in a bad mood guys," Miller said apologizing to the media. "I hate losing. I hate it. So I'm not mad. You guys are doing your jobs. I don't mean to be a prick, I can't help it. It's nobody's fault. I hate losing. We are going to figure it out. This team is going to figure it out." It is safe to say that Bearcats point guard Jizzle James looked like arguably the best player on the court Tuesday. The true freshman was everywhere tonight for the Bearcats, as his impact in this game was truly the reason the Bearcats were able to fight near the very end, despite a season-high 25 turnovers as a team. James made an immediate impact in the opening minutes of this one and never looked back James knocked down his first two field goal attempts of the night, which happened to be two huge three-pointers in the first half. The freshman led the Bearcats second half comeback effort as 10 of his 16 points came in the second half. Caleb Williams, Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Kenny Pickett, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Royals new stadium, Wes Miller, Cincinnati Bearcats, Iowa State, College Basketball, Tee Higgins, NFL franchise tag, NFL Draft, Jonah Williams, Kentucky Basketball, UK basketball, John Calipari