The Cincinnati Bengals gave wide receiver Tee Higgins the franchise tag this off season, but according to Higgins, they don’t seem to be interested in signing him to an extension. He has now asked for a trade, per Adam Schefter.
Higgins had a down 2023, as he missed time due to injuries and didn’t have QB Joe Burrow throwing him the ball due to his own injuries. But, he has shown enough ability to be considered a possible WR1 for many teams around the league and is just 25 years old. The chances he is actually traded aren’t great, as the Bengals do have the upper hand with the franchise tag, but they will listen to offers. So, who would make the most sense?
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars look ready to let Calvin Ridley walk in free agency, which means they will need another top receiver to replace him. The team will not want to go into the season without a top receiver for Trevor Lawrence.
New York Giants
The Giants will be mentioned anytime a wide receiver who may be on the move comes up. They are hurting bad at the position and need to bring in a proven player to build their wide receiver room around. The question is, do they give up resources for a top receiver before finding their QB of the future?
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs would of course be a perfect spot for Higgins, but the team doesn’t appear set to invest big capital into the position and the Bengals probably don’t want to give Patrick Mahomes a weapon like Higgins. It would be fun though.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders have a lot of cap space to sign Higgins if they can pry him away from Cincinnati, but it’s not clear that the Commanders are willing to spend big on a wide receiver under new management. They will lose Curtis Samuel in free agency and pairing Higgins and Terry McLaurin for whichever QB they take at No. 2 would quickly make their offense much better.
The market for Higgins might not be great, as the NFL Draft looks to be very strong at the wide receiver position. Add that to his down season and teams likely won’t be willing to pay top dollar. The Bengals are one of those teams as well. With Ja’marr Chase also set to get a big contract, the team will prioritize Chase.