Shannon Sharpe floats Chiefs as ideal trade destination for Tee Higgins

The Cincinnati Bengals have a decision to make. Wide receiver Tee Higgins has requested a trade away from the team, and now the Bengals have to decide if they want to honor Higgins' request, or force him to play out next season in Cincinnati under the franchise tag.

If the Bengals do decide to trade Higgins, former NFL All-Pro tight end and current NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe has an *interesting* destination in mind. During a recent appearance on ESPN's "First Take," Sharpe mentioned the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs as an ideal destination for Higgins.

"As soon as they won the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs should have been on the phone with the Bengals about trying to acquire his services," Sharpe said. " . . . Kansas City needs Tee Higgins. . . Can you imagine hime with a Patrick Mahomes?. . . If I was the Kansas City Chiefs, I would definitely be on the phone with the Cincinnati Bengals asking what it would take to get his services."

Let's humor Sharpe here for a minute. Yes, Higgins joining the Chiefs would be a major upgrade for Kansas City's offense, and there would be potential for Higgins to put up some crazy numbers. However, saying that the Chiefs are unlikely to pursue a deal for Higgins would be an understatement.

Don't expect to see Higgins in Kansas City

There are several reasons why a trade sending Higgins to Kansas City is unlikely to come to fruition, with the most obvious being financial. As one of the best young receivers in the league, Higgins is looking for a big payday, and the Chiefs simply don't have the salary cap space to give him the kind of deal he's probably seeking.

Also, the Chiefs just won a Super Bowl without an expensive wide receiver on the roster. In fact, the team has won consecutive championships since trading star receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in 2022. It seems unlikely that the Chiefs would want to spend big on a receiver after having some serious success doing the opposite.

It also seems unlikely that the Bengals would want to trade Higgins to one of their biggest competitors in the conference. The Bengals and Chiefs met in back-to-back AFC Championships in 2021 and 2022, and they probably won't want to gift Mahomes and Kansas City an elite offensive weapon.

So, while it's fun to talk about, don't expect to see Higgins in a Chiefs uniform next season.