CINCINNATI>> The Cincinnati Bengals have placed the franchise tag on Tee Higgins for a second time, as the team hopes to work out a long-term deal with the star wide receiver.

If the Bengals can’t reach a contract with the 26-year-old Higgins before July 15, his salary for the 2025 season would be $26.2 million.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin reiterated last week at the NFL scouting combine that one of his top priorities is to get a deal done with Higgins.

“You can pull up three years ago, talking about doing a long-term deal with Tee and here we are today, still talking about doing a long-term deal,” Tobin said. “Whenever I’m in charge of a football team, I want Tee Higgins and so I’m going to do what I can to get Tee Higgins.”

Higgins posted a one-word reaction on social media after getting the news Monday afternoon — “tag.”

Higgins would have been one of the top players to hit free agency. Instead, he is the second player to receive a franchise tag, joining Kansas City guard Trey Smith. Teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST to tag players.

Higgins was tied for sixth in the league this past season with 10 touchdown catches. He also had 73 receptions for 911 yards and averaged 12.5 yards per catch.

HIs best game last season was on Dec. 28 against Denver, when he had 11 receptions for 131 yards and three touchdowns, including a 3-yard score in overtime that kept the Bengals alive for another week in the postseason chase. Cincinnati won its final five games to finish 9-8, but missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

Higgins was a second-round pick by the Bengals in 2020, the same season Joe Burrow was the top overall pick. Higgins has at least 900 receiving yards in four of his five seasons, and had more than 1,000 yards in 2021 and ‘22.

Eagles set to release CB Darius Slay>> The Philadelphia Eagles are set to release six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, a person familiar with the decision said Monday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not yet announced the decision. Slay was scheduled for a post-June 1 release.

“ Real tears,” Slay’s wife, Jennifer, wrote on social media.

The 34-year-old cornerback spent five seasons with the Eagles and played a key role in helping them win the Super Bowl just three weeks ago. The move was expected to save the Eagles about $4.3 million next season against the salary cap.

Slay spent the first seven years of his career with the Detroit Lions before he was traded to the Eagles in March 2020 for third-round and fifth-round picks in that year’s draft. He had nine interceptions in the regular season over his career with the Eagles — and had one in this year’s postseason against Green Bay.

Slay made three Pro Bowls with the Eagles and three with the Lions. He led the NFL with eight interceptions in 2017 and was named a first team All-Pro.

Nicknamed “Big Play” Slay, he did not address the impending release directly on social media by Monday afternoon, though he reposted several messages acknowledging the decision.

Jimmy Johnson retires from Fox Sports>> Jimmy Johnson has announced his retirement from Fox Sports after being part of its NFL coverage for most of the network’s 31 years.

The 81-year-old Johnson made the announcement during an appearance on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.” He said he had been thinking about retiring for four or five years. He said he would miss the people he’s worked with and called it a great run.

Johnson worked alongside hosts Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw and analysts Howie Long and Michael Strahan.

As a coach, he won consecutive Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and the college football national championship with Miami in 1987.

McDuffie opts to stay in Green Bay>> Linebacker Isaiah McDuffie is staying with the Green Bay Packers. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst announced Monday that the team had re-signed McDuffie without revealing terms.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that McDuffie agreed on a two-year, $8 million deal.

McDuffie was due to become an unrestricted free agent if he hadn’t reached a deal with Green Bay. The Packers selected him out of Boston College in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.

— The Associated Press