Tag: Tee Higgins

Commanders DE K.J. Henry recruiting Bengals star Tee Higgins

Tee Higgins wants a trade. One former college teammate wants him with the Commanders.

On the day before the 2024 NFL draft, Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins informed his team he wanted a trade. The Bengals placed the franchise tag on the 2020 second-round pick and haven’t had contract negotiations with Higgins in over a year.

With the Bengals needing to pay fellow wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase soon, it’s long been expected that Cincinnati would eventually trade Higgins. However, the Bengals have remained adamant that he is part of their plans—with Chase.

Once news of Higgins’ request went public, a former college teammate at Clemson made a pitch for the star wideout to come to the Washington Commanders.

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Washington defensive end K.J. Henry played two years at Clemson with Higgins. Henry sent Higgins the following message on X — formerly Twitter.

If the Bengals trade Higgins, the new team will need to surrender draft compensation and pay him at the top of the market. In four seasons, Higgins has gone over 1,000 yards receiving twice. Higgins battled injuries in 2023.

Washington is expected to draft LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. Higgins would give the Commanders a big wideout, something they currently lack.

However, don’t expect the Bengals to move Higgins, and it’s doubtful Washington parts with the required draft compensation.

ESPN suggests the ideal Tee Higgins trade partner for Bengals

Here’s an interesting Tee Higgins trade idea.

The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t going to trade wide receiver Tee Higgins, something the organization and reports have made adamantly clear for a while now.

That is, unless a stunning offer comes through.

While it might not be a stunning offer that encourages the Bengals to do a deal, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell did make a nice argument for why the Arizona Cardinals might want to cough up the 27th pick for Higgins:

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Want to build a devastating receiving corps in one day? Take Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 pick, then trade this selection for Higgins. With Harrison on a rookie deal for the next four years and Trey McBride still on one for two more seasons, the Cardinals could give Higgins an extension and roll out Harrison, Higgins and McBride as the three top playmakers in their passing attack for Kyler Murray. That’s a fun group, even amid stiff competition for that title in the NFC West.

It’s certainly not the worst idea from a Bengals slant, either. With that move, the Bengals shake free of the need for a market-resetting contract for Higgins and can give one to Ja’Marr Chase.

More importantly (because doing a long-term deal with Higgins might not be as hard as outsiders think), it gives the Bengals another top-30 pick to hit on key needs, such as the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Again, a Higgins trade is unlikely and possibly ill-advised. But a first-round pick is the type of return that might give the front office at Paycor Stadium at least a momentary pause.

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Tee Higgins situation updated by insider

An insider weighs in on the standoff between the Bengals and Tee Higgins.

Over the weekend, Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins surfaced for an interview and stated that he anticipates playing for the Bengals in 2024.

That much has felt obvious for the franchise-tagged star, though his trade request and the ongoing standoff made it an interesting topic.

Soon after Higgins’ interview went public, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler followed up on the situation: “The Bengals have made clear behind the scenes they have no plans to trade Higgins. Want another run at a Super Bowl with Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins on the outside.”

The Bengals have been adamant the entire time that Higgins will remain with the team in 2024.

The team brass has even gone as far as making it clear they want to keep both Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase for the long term.

Easier said than done, of course. And a recent report says the two sides haven’t talked about an extension recently. But barring an extremely unlikely high-end offer from another team, there’s a July 15 deadline in for an extension or Higgins will play 2024 on the tag.

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Bengals, Tee Higgins ‘haven’t talked yet’ amid contract standoff

A new report sheds light on the progress between Tee Higgins and the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Tee Higgins have yet to talk on a contract extension.

While not shocking, so says a new report from ESPN’s Matt Miller:

A source close to the Higgins situation told me the two sides haven’t talked yet, making it unclear if the Bengals will move Higgins, but that person also noted the team believes it is in win-now mode and can challenge the Chiefs for the AFC title this season with Higgins on the roster. Ja’Marr Chase also needs a new contract, which could play a part and even open the door for the Bengals to draft a receiver in Round 1 to replace Higgins if Cincinnati can’t afford both pass-catchers.

Though a different recent report has said the Bengals are willing to listen if a team calls about a Tee Higgins trade, it’s still extremely unlikely, given the compensation the team would demand in return.

Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn, more recently, said the plan remains to keep both Higgins and Chase for the long-term.

For now, no progress on extension talks after the application of the franchise tag isn’t surprising or indicative of how things might play out. Once everyone’s in the building — when and if Higgins reports — then the conversation changes.

Given the team control of Higgins via the franchise tag (and the possibility of another next offseason), the Bengals have enough leverage to avoid drafting a Round 1 receiver, though Chase’s upcoming extension does make for a tricky cap tightrope for the front office to walk.

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Patriots’ dream trade target still remains without a long-term deal

A big move might still be on the table for the Patriots

With Jacksonville Jaguars pass-rusher Josh Allen agreeing to a massive extension on Wednesday, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. are the only franchise-tagged players that have yet to get long-term deals.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted that Winfield and the Buccaneers are working towards a new deal, but the status remains the same for Higgins, who has requested a trade.

When it comes to the New England Patriots, all eyes have been on the unfolding situation between Higgins and the Bengals. Higgins has been the dream free agent target for the team this offseason, and there’s still hope they could swing a trade to potentially pair him with a rookie quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft.

A fair bargaining chip would be the Patriots’ 2024 second-round pick, but it would likely have to come with the security of a long-term contract agreement between Higgins and the Patriots. The team clearly isn’t in Super Bowl contention, and they can’t run the risk of the veteran wide receiver walking in 2025.

As for the Bengals, unless they can pull something together at the last minute, it seems like the writing is on the wall with Higgins. They’d be better off finding a suitable trade partner and selecting another receiver in a draft that’s deep at the position.

The Houston Texans ultimately received a 2025 second-round pick for star wideout Stefon Diggs, which has some wondering if the Patriots could get Higgins for less. It’s important to keep in mind that Higgins turned 25 years old this year, while Diggs will be celebrating his 31st birthday in November.

That could be one of many differences that ultimately impacts what deal, if any, gets done with the Bengals.

B/R proposes solution to Bengals-Tee Higgins standoff

Here’s how one expert would fix the Bengals-Tee Higgins situation.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in something of a standoff with star wideout Tee Higgins.

Granted, the franchise tag throws most of the control the team’s way, but there’s an element of the unknown about the future for both parties beyond 2024.

So, the team would be smart to think ahead with insurance policies. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon has suggested one way to do so:

Solution: Dig in and either let him play on the tag or get something back in a trade. Use a first- or second-round pick on a wideout in this receiver-deep draft.

Truthfully, the Bengals are a threat to take a wideout as early as Round 1 no matter what happens with Higgins this year. The team lost Tyler Boyd to the open market and tight end Mike Gesicki will eat some of those snaps as the offense goes under-center more, but there’s no guarantee sophomores Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones will pan out as full-time starters.

As we wrote recently, there’s a lot of evidence that the Bengals won’t trade Higgins. But drafting one year ahead of major needs opening up has been a habit of the team lately — think, taking Dax Hill one year before losing Jessie Bates.

That theme in mind, expect the Bengals to take at least one wideout this month.

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PODCAST: Should the Cardinals trade for WRs Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins?

Jess Root and Seth Cox discuss whether trading for Brandon Aiyuk or Tee Higgins would make sense for the Cardinals in this show.

The Arizona Cardinals are in the middle of all sorts of trade speculation in the NFL draft. When it comes to trade rumors for players on other teams, though, there has been nothing.

Their most glaring need on the roster is at wide receiver.

In this edition of the podcast, cohost Seth Cox and I discuss trading for a couple of good, established receivers — Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers and Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Are they worth it? What would it cost? Under what circumstances would it make sense?

We discuss all of that in this show.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

Times and topics:

(1:00) Should the Cardinals trade for Brandon Aiyuk?

(19:08) Should the Cardinals trade for Tee Higgins?

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How does Bills trading Stefon Diggs impact Tee Higgins, Bengals?

Does the Stefon Diggs trade impact the Bengals and Tee Higgins at all?

Inevitably, there are going to be some comparisons between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills right about now considering how they’ve handled their star wide receivers.

The Bengals remain in a mini-standoff with franchise-tagged star Tee Higgins. Those Bills just pulled off a stunner of a trade, sending Stefon Diggs and two draft picks to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick.

But for those who think the trade might signal that Higgins is worth quite a bit more on the trade market, that isn’t necessarily the case.

All it might mean is the Bengals have picked the right course of action.

Most of it comes down to the Bills just wanting to get out of the Diggs situation entirely. It was clear even to outsiders that the relationship between player and team soured, hence Buffalo being willing to eat this much cap space just to get him out of town:

To top it off, Diggs is going into his age-31 season, so the Bills shipping him off right in the middle of Josh Allen’s prime, and what the franchise hopes is a contention window, seems to say quite a bit.

Higgins, on the other hand, is just 25 years old with a pair of 1,000-yard seasons to his name already and hints of further upside as a possible No. 1 when he’s not sharing the targets with Ja’Marr Chase. There are availability concerns, but the acquiring team would likely sign him to a long-term extension.

The thing is, teams aren’t going to offer much better than what the Bills just got for Diggs. Clubs aren’t blind — Higgins is the long-term better option for the next three-plus years at a minimum, injury history aside. But when players like Diggs are available, when names like A.J. Brown get traded, names like Tyler Boyd remain free agents this deep into the market and a historic-looking wideout draft class is on the way, there’s no sense in coughing up a first-round pick.

The Bengals, it seems, have played it well. If a team really wants Higgins, it’ll offer more than what the Bills got for Diggs. Meaning a first-rounder at a minimum. And if not, Higgins will play next year on the tag with the looming threat of a double-tag (costly, but the cap keeps dramatically rising) hanging over long-term negotiations.

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Panthers still considered a top landing spot for Bengals WR Tee Higgins

Are the Panthers still a logical landing spot for Bengals WR Tee Higgins?

Even after the implementation of a franchise tag and a trade for a Pro Bowl-caliber pass catcher, the Carolina Panthers are still considered a potential landing spot for a certain wideout.

With Stefon Diggs on the move, Adam Wells of Bleacher Report recently named the best possible suitors for a few other big-name receivers—Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins and free agent Odell Beckham Jr. Wells marked the Panthers as a fit for the former:

Adding Higgins would dramatically improve the Panthers’ receiver room. They would have a bona fide No. 1 on the outside who can create plays deep down the field or in traffic.

Even if the Panthers had to trade the No. 33 pick, which is their first selection in the 2024 draft, they need to surround Young with as much immediate-impact talent as possible to determine if he’s the quarterback they thought he was when they selected him with the top pick last year.

If the Panthers want to make such a deal, it’d obviously have to come within the next few weeks.

Carolina currently holds the 33rd and 39th overall selections in the 2024 NFL draft. Those could appeal to the Bengals, who slapped Higgins with the franchise tag back in February.

But would the Panthers rather draft their own wide receiver with at least one of those picks and have him on a rookie deal or use one to trade for and immediately pay the 25-year-old Higgins?

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Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins praised Brian Callahan to DeAndre Hopkins

Bengals stars had nice things to say about their former offensive coordinator.

Cincinnati Bengals wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have signed off on Brian Callahan to at least one Tennessee Titans star.

Speaking at the NFL owners meetings this week, Titans wideout DeAndre Hopkins revealed that he got positive words from Chase and Higgins once the former Bengals offensive coordinator came over from Cincinnati to serve as the new head coach.

“I am very excited to get going under Brian’s offense, and his schemes,” Hopkins said, per Jim Wyatt of the Titans’ official website. “Obviously I’ve talked to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and those guys told me that I would love this offense, and I think the sky is the limit, especially with a guy like Calvin (Ridley). I am very excited for this offense.”

Chase and Higgins, of course, would know. And now Callahan looks like he will indeed try to emulate the Cincinnati system at least a little bit by having Calvin Ridley play a Chase-like role to Hopkins’ Higgins.

Hopkins scored seven times with 1,000-plus yards last year as it is, so he’s probably thrilled to hear about the possible upgrade, too.

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