Bengals could land Justin Jefferson with this intriguing trade proposal

There has been a lot of buzz about Justin Jefferson's future with the Minnesota Vikings. Similarly, Tee Higgins' future with the Cincinnati Bengals has been a hot topic since the star receiver requested a trade at the onset of free agency. So, what if the two teams swapped star receivers?

In a trade proposed by Bleacher Report, the Bengals would send Higgins, a 2025 first-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for Jefferson. Before diving into the merit of such a trade for the Bengals, here's some of what B/R had to say about the proposed deal:

"The LSU trio of Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson was the engine behind one of college football's greatest offenses in 2019. . . If they were reunited, they would undoubtedly do the same to the league. The Bengals' battery of Burrow and Chase is already one of the best quarterback-wide receiver connections in the league when they are both healthy. Adding Jefferson to that mix would be unfair to defenses around the league."

Don't hold your breath, Bengals fans

While on paper it would be amazing to pair Jefferson with his former college teammates in Burrow and Chase, it would be very difficult to swing financially for Cincinnati. Both Jefferson and Chase are in line for enormous contract extensions, and paying them both would take an enormous chunk out of the team's cap space moving forward, and in turn make it difficult to round out the rest of the roster. Sure, they would have an absolutely elite receiving duo, but what about all of the other positions?

There are already questions about Cincinnati's desire, or willingness, to pay major money to two receivers, which is why Higgins' future with the franchise is in question. Jefferson is a better player than Higgins, but the situation would be similar, as the Bengals would still be forced to spend big on two pass-catchers. Plus, a first and a third in 2025 is a whole lot of draft capital to part with.

So, while it's fun to speculate about Cincinnati potentially adding Jefferson to the roster, it's certainly not something that Bengals fans should hold their breath about.