NFL Fans Debate Tee Higgins Landing Spots After Rumors of Bengals WR’s Trade Request

Tee Higgins reportedly does not want to play on the franchise tag.

The Cincinnati Bengals receiver requested a trade Monday, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Higgins played his first four NFL seasons with the Bengals and is coming off an injury-plagued 2023 campaign that saw him set career lows in receptions (42), yards (656) and touchdowns.

The Bengals tagged Higgins in February, guaranteeing him $21.8 million for the 2024 season.

Whether Cincinnati is willing to entertain offers remains to be seen, but fans are already champing at the bit to see where he might land.

A Higgins trade seems unlikely at the moment. Not only would a team have to give up a high draft pick—likely a first- or second-round pick—to land Higgins, it would also have to pay him upwards of $25 million per season. Considering the 2024 draft class is considered loaded at receiver, it’s fair to wonder whether most teams may be better off simply using a pick on a young wideout and saving cap space.

Higgins is a quality receiver with proven NFL success, but he’s never topped 1,100 yards in a season. While that may be partially due to the presence of Ja’Marr Chase, it’s worth noting the Bengals drafted Chase when they already had Higgins in place. If the Cincinnati front office had faith in Higgins being an elite WR1, that probably does not happen.

That won’t stop the most receiver-thirsty teams from kicking the tires, but Higgins probably tops out as a lower-end WR1. If the Bengals have a receiver in the 2024 class they like, it would make sense for them to explore moving on and resetting the contract clock on their WR2 spot with Chase due a massive extension this or next offseason.