While the public reason for the Bengals’ lack of interest in a deal is that they are still looking to work out a long-term agreement with Higgins, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk notes, the optics may be as important to the Bengals as their actual plans for Higgins.

Multiple teams inquired about the availability of franchise-tagged Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, but Cincinnati's appetite for parting with the No. 2 receiver remains unclear, according to reports.

The Cincinnati Bengals have created quite the predicament for themselves with their two star wide receivers this offseason, and now neither of them are happy following Monday's development of Tee Higgins receiving the franchise tag for the second consecutive season.

The Cincinnati Bengals are utilizing the franchise tag for the second consecutive season on the same player as wide receiver Tee Higgins has been hit with the tag once again. The Bengals, who announced the move Monday, do not want to allow Higgins to hit free agency, and will now turn their attention to negotiating a long-term deal.

Via Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com, "multiple teams" have contacted the Bengals about a Higgins trade. The Bengals have said Higgins "remains unavailable" as they work toward a

Despite a growing number of talented wideouts becoming available, there are at least a few NFL teams that are trying to acquire Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins. Multiple teams have contacted the Bengals about the availability of Higgins after the team franchise tagged him for a second straight year,

As expected, the Cincinnati Bengals keep getting Tee Higgins trade calls. Also as expected, the Bengals keep saying no thanks. According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, multiple teams have called the Bengals about a Higgins trade since they applied the second franchise tag on the star wideout.

The Cincinnati Bengals put the franchise tag on Tee Higgins for the second straight year, but this time around, they’re hoping that they can come to an agreement on a long-term deal. Other teams around the league probably don’t know that,