This offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals have answered many questions.
Yet, one major question remains: what will the team do with Tee Higgins? Will he play on the franchise tag? Will the Bengals be able to work out a new deal for both Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase?
If you ask head coach Zac Taylor, he's excited about having Higgins around and is looking forward to a productive year in 2024. But, Higgins' trade request back in March continues to loom.
Recently, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox proposed a trade idea that would reunite Higgins with his college quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. Should the Bengals wind up trading him, it's certainly a sensible location.
Wrote Knox:
"Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins requested a trade after receiving the franchise tag earlier this offseason. While the team has made no effort to move him, a trade remains a possibility.
The 25-year-old did recently sign his tender, but until/unless a long-term deal is reached, his future in Cincinnati will remain unclear.
If Higgins is or becomes available, the Jacksonville Jaguars should be interested. They did use a first-round pick on receiver Brian Thomas Jr., but they also lost Calvin Ridley in free agency.
Adding a receiver of Higgins' caliber could help maximize quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who just inked a massive five-year, $275 million extension."
The trade return may not be what Jacksonville is willing to pay for Tee Higgins
Knox didn't include any hypothetical terms to this proposed deal, therefore it's hard to give it an initial grade. With the Bengals still having Chase, along with rookie Jermaine Burton, they should be set for the immediate future -- at least at the top of their depth chart.
Let's say the following terms came to fruition between the two teams:
For the Bengals to part with Higgins, and to a potential AFC playoff team, the price would need to be fairly steep. Cincinnati wouldn't be taking the 2023 season into consideration, as Higgins dealt with injury and Joe Burrow didn't play the full year. Throwing out last year, and looking at both Higgins' past production and his potential as a true WR1, the above capital is likely what would be necessary to land Higgins.
After all, when he's healthy, Higgins is easily a top-15 wide receiver in this league. There's no question about it. His size and skill set, combined with the fact that he's still just 25 years old should warrant a first-round pick at the very minimum.
If those terms were agreed upon, it would be a tough call to grade the deal overall. The Bengals are losing a great player. At first glance, Bengals fans may not love it. But, if Higgins was going to find his way out one way or another, then Cincy got just about as much as they could ask for.
Grade: B+