Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan helped develop Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins into a star, and now the Bengals are doing what they can to hold on to Higgins, if only for just one more year.

The Bengals are using a franchise tag on Higgins, according to reports Friday evening, which gives Higgins a fully guaranteed one-year contract to stay with Cincinnati for a fifth season. The Oak Ridge native and former Tennessee Mr. Football winner still can be traded while on the franchise tag, and teams like the Titans will have the opportunity to match Higgins' contract as offered by the Bengals in exchange for two first-round draft picks.

Higgins has accounted for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns in four pro seasons, including 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022.

What does Tee Higgins' franchise tag mean for Tennessee Titans?

Players who have been non-exclusively franchise-tagged are still permitted to negotiate with other teams, but any contract offered may be matched by the team that initially applied the tag. In the event that the original team does not match the offer, it will be entitled to "draft choice compensation equivalent to two first-round picks," per the NFL.

Higgins also can be traded while on the franchise tag, but he has to sign his franchise tag tender with the Bengals in order for that to happen. The estimated salary for a receiver playing on the franchise tag in 2024 is $20.7 million.

Why does Tee Higgins make sense for Tennessee Titans?

Higgins grew up in Oak Ridge, roughly 25 miles outside of Knoxville. The home-state connection is obvious, but so is his connection to Callahan, the Titans coach who was the Bengals' offensive coordinator for Higgins' first four years in Cincinnati.

"It would be good," Higgins said about joining up with the Titans when he was on "The Sick Podcast" on Thursday before the Super Bowl. "Going back home to family and then being able to play for a coach that I’ve already been under. It would be ideal."

Do the Titans need Tee Higgins?

Receiver is an area of need for the Titans. Veteran DeAndre Hopkins, who turns 32 in June, is fresh off a 1,000-yard season and is slated to return with one year left on his contract. Beyond Hopkins, the Titans' receiver room has very little returning experience or track record of success. Despite investing a first-round draft pick in Treylon Burks in 2022, the Titans have yet to see much of a return from the Arkansas product who has struggled through injuries and inconsistencies in two pro seasons.

The Titans had the NFL's fourth-worst passing offense in 2023.

Can the Cincinnati Bengals hold onto Tee Higgins?

One of the perks of a franchise tag is that teams can continue to negotiate long-term extensions with players while they're tagged. Three of the six players who were franchise-tagged in 2023 agreed to multiyear extensions with their teams before the season began, and two others signed one-year contracts to not have to play while on the tag.

The Bengals are projected to have more than $60 million in available salary cap space to spend in 2024, meaning they are more than flexible enough to pay Higgins a franchise tag value. Money gets a little tighter for the Bengals in 2025 as quarterback Joe Burrow's salary cap hit nearly doubles and star receiver Ja'Marr Chase is due for a new contract. This might make it a little tougher for Cincinnati to commit to a long-term contract with Higgins.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bengals to use franchise tag on potential Titans target WR Tee Higgins