Three Tee Higgins Trade Destinations

Tee Higgins was seen as the best wide receiver available in free agency before the Cincinnati Bengals used the franchise tag on him. Reports at the time suggested the Bengals wanted a few more months to try to negotiate a long-term deal with their No. 2 wideout. It seems Higgins does not feel the same way, and on Monday the former LSU star requested a trade out of Cincy-- revealing, in the process, that the Bengals never actually tried to hold long-term extension talks with him.

Apart from being a terrible look for the Bengals, a franchise already struggling to beat the "too cheap to compete" allegations, this has become a very intriguing situation. Higgins asking out was always going to attract interested parties and result in offers, but the fact that Cincinnati does not want to sign him long-term means they're far more likely to actually trade him. It's now clear they only used the franchise tag because they didn't want to let HIggins walk for nothing. Now they have the opportunity to get something in return and his value will probably never be higher.

The question, then, is how good that return could be. Higgins is a Pro Bowl talent who has never had the chance to be the No. 1 receiver. Paying for his impressive production is one thing (two 1,000 yard seasons in four years and an average of six touchdowns per season) but teams are also paying to project how good he'll be with exta defensive attention and targets. They will also have to give up a draft pick and then sign Higgins to a market-level extension, which will be around $25-$30 million annually. It's a pretty significant investment for Higgins-- but one a few teams would be happy to make. Quality wideouts with years of above-average production who are only 25 years-old are rarely available in today's NFL.

Where will Higgins end up? Here are a few possibilities.

New England Patriots

The Patriots easily hit Higgins BINGO!, as it were. They are in dire need of receiving talent; their best wideout on the roster right now is Kendrick Bourne, who tore his ACL in October. They don't have a ton of extra draft picks but the ones they do have are near the top of the draft order thanks to their horrific 2023 season. And they have a butt-ton of cash to burn, with over $100 million in cap space heading into the start of free agency. If there was any team that could afford to give up a second or third-round pick for Higgins and then sign him to a big deal, it's the Patriots.

Whether or not New England pulls this off is entirely dependent on their draft plans. If they'd rather hang on to every pick they've got and try to find a Higgins-esque wideout (which is certianly possible given Higgins himself was a second-round pick) then they won't give one up to pay Higgins when they could find similar production on a rookie contract. The Pats could also be planning to take Marvin Harrison Jr. with their top pick in April. We won't know what they want to do until they do it but keep an eye on them as a Higgins suitor because they have the means and motives to a degree few other potential trade partners have.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are obviously going to be on every list as a candidate for an available wide receiver after the absolute disaster that unfolded at the position last season. Of course it didn't end up mattering and they won another Super Bowl but it is undeniable that Kansas City needs more talent in the wideout room. And it's hard to get much sweeter than swooping in and taking Higgins from the Bengals, a team that has grown to be as close to a rival as Patrick Mahomes has seen in his career so far.

Which is also why the Bengals might balk at pulling off a deal with KC. Giving a postseason rival a great receiver, even for a first-round pick, is not smart management. But Cincy clearly cares about the bottom line over everything so they might be willing to do it anyway. Plus, the Chiefs already had a chance to dedicate a ton of their cap space to a high-end receiver in Tyreek Hill and chose to trade him away instead, a philosophy validated by the rings they won last month. Can't count them out of any WR sweepstakes, though.

Houston Texans

CJ Stroud is officially awesome and free agency is the first opportunity for the Texans to ensure he gets as much help as possible. What better way to do so than to trade for Higgins? He's a different sort of receiver than Tank Dell and would form a tremendous two-headed monster with Nico Collins on the outside. Houston is projected to have north of $60 million to work with in free agency, so trading and then signing Higgns would still leave them with a bunch of money to improve the roster around them.

The primary hold-up here is the Texans' pick selection. They have the No. 23 overall pick, which is definitely too high to give up for Higgins, and then the No. 59 overall pick, which may be too low for the Bengals if the Patriots, Cardinals or Panthers are interested. Higgins would be great for the Texans and they'd surely be glad to have him-- the deal just has to be right for Cincinnati.