To no surprise, the Bengals used the franchise tag on wideout Tee Higgins and in doing so prevented him from reaching free agency. He could still be playing on a new team by the start of the 2024 season, though. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Higgins has requested a trade.
This is complicated territory for the Bengals, who may well be renting Higgins via the tag. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow extension and its plans for a Ja’Marr Chase payday — its top WR priority — may make a Higgins extension untenable. But the team carved out enough cap space for a Higgins tag this year. The team’s No. 2 wideout may not be on board with the team’s plan, one that would delay his long-term payday by a year.
The Bengals saw their hopes at breaking through for a Super Bowl title dashed when Burrow went down in November. A Higgins tag would offer a mulligan of sorts, keeping the Burrow-Chase-Higgins window open for one more year. Player personnel director Duke Tobin, who shot down Higgins trade rumors at the 2023 Combine, recently said a tag-and-trade scenario was unlikely.
“The message is we really like Tee and we’re a better team with Tee. In terms of our intentions and answering hypotheticals, I won’t get into that,” Tobin said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith. “We feel like we’re a better team with him. The reason we franchised him is we’d like to have him.”
Tag rentals have been going on since the NFL introduced the player-retention tool in 1993, and standout wide receivers regularly need to wait until Year 5 for a payday. CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson are in this boat, due to being first-round picks in 2020, and Chase will probably join them. The Bengals picking up Chase’s fifth-year option can allow them to table extension talks to 2025.
Cincinnati dealing Higgins would hurt its chances of winning a championship this year, though the receiver market not including Mike Evans (re-signed) or Michael Pittman Jr. (tagged) could make offers for the Clemson alum tempting. Higgins would certainly fetch a strong haul for the Bengals, and Cincy tagging Higgins so early could have been interpreted as a way for the team to see what a trade would bring back. But this is an old-school organization that typically does not give in on these fronts. It will be interesting to see if any traction develops here.
That’ll be a rough trade market. A DEEP draft for WRs, so a team would have to give up draft capital THEN a lot of cap space to sign him. Is he even considered a true #1? Maybe Carolina would bite? Maybe Pittsburgh would swap disgruntled Diante and add a draft pick to get Higgins? Would Cincy even want to trade him to Pittsburgh? A lot of questions and not a great situation for Cincy.
Yeah. Doubt Steelers and Bengals are eager to swap wide receivers with each other.
He may not be considered a true #1, but there aren’t 32 better receivers. It’s also still harder to find true outside weapons. It’s a loaded draft class for receivers, but after the top three of Harrison, Nabers, and Odunze, it’s not like any of them are great bets to be better than Higgins, and not right away.
Diontae was only frustrated thanks to having QB’s who couldn’t hit him with passes if he was by himself in the end zone. Don’t think that’ll be a problem any longer.
But that said, if you’re proposing Tee Higgins for him? Sure.
Carolina makes a ton of sense and they desperately need to do something that shows the fans they’re serious, but their cap situation is a hot mess. I’m not sure if there’s enough “creative accounting” in the world to get something done.
If I had to lay odds, Tennessee would have to be the favorite. Brian Callahan was Tee’s coordinator all four years; and TEN has a ton of cap space and two #1’s this year. If the Bengals are going to let Tee go, they’re going to want a WR or Brock Bowers (or both – wouldn’t that be something?!?) at the top of the draft, and #18 isn’t quite high enough to make that happen.
The Titans only have 1 1st round draft pick
Jaguars would make sense. It would reunite him with Lawrence. It would allow them to let Ridley walk and give up a third to Atlanta instead of a second. And he would be less redundant with Kirk.
It would require them to cut or restructure a couple more of their contracts, but they’re always going to be doing that as long as they keep letting Baalke sign players.
I believe as long as the Jags resign Ridley after free agency opens its a 3rd going Atlantas way regardless.
Oh right, I think you’re correct. I still like the idea of giving them a younger receiver who doesn’t interfere with Kirk’s best usage.
If you’re the Commanders maybe you do a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th to give your new rookie QB two proven viable options in McLaurin and Higgins.
Commanders gained an extra 2nd and 3rd from Bears and 49ers respectively. I’d trade the lesser of the two. #40 and #99. Or #102 in the 4th
Panthers might want to take a look at this. He’s not a true number one, but he’d fit with Bryce Young.
CAR should be all in on Tee Higgins, give Bryce a guy.
Can CAR give CIN a 4th this year (pick #100) and a 2nd round pick in 2025?
The Panthers make sense for a lot of reasons, however:
I don’t think a #2 next year carries much value for the Bengals. There’s very little chance they’re going to bring Tyler Boyd back, which would mean that after Chase, there’s not much at the wideout spot.
And, as I stated in another post, the Panthers’ cap is a mess. I don’t know if there’s any way they can create enough room for Tee.
Looks like Higgins will be playing a year on the tag. There’s no way teams will give up draft capital and cap space for Higgins.
Why not? The Eagles traded a first and a third for the right to give AJ Brown a huge extension when he was the same age and had also missed games the previous season. Higgins is a legit outside receiver who would be the #1 on a bunch of teams and he’ll play all of next season at 25. Someone will be willing to pay if the Bengals are actually willing to trade him.
You may be right about Tee playing on the tag, but it won’t be because teams are willing to give up draft capital. Legit #1 receivers don’t come available every day.
I’d be really interested to know what Cincinnati wants. If I had to guess, their preference is probably to move up in Round 1.
Even with a heavy heavy WR draft I can see big cap teams possibly making a push for Tee. Commanders Patriots and Bears all have the money. Cardinals have 11 picks they could get him and pair with Marvin Harrison Jr
Trading him is the smart move. Do it!
Romeo Doubs + Second Round pick to send him to the Packers?
Not nearly enough!
Bears would make sense. Plus they are in the other conference. Others I can think of would be the Cowboys or even Falcons.
One year for a second round and doubs? Deal
He doesn’t understand that the Franchise Tag was negotiated by his NFLPA players’ union as a compromise. It’s 1 or 2 years long and then free agency.