Tee Higgins landing spots: Bengals star to play out franchise tag; potential teams that could trade for WR

It appears Tee Higgins will be playing out the 2024 season on the franchise tag after he and the Cincinnati Bengals won’t be getting an extension done before Monday’s deadline to do so with tagged players, according to NFL Media. Higgins is expected to be at training camp when veterans report in on July 23, per Ian Rapoport.

The star wide receiver will make $21.8 million fully guaranteed in the upcoming season, though it’s just a one-year deal. 

The Bengals made Higgins the first pick of the second round (33rd overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft, the same year they took quarterback Joe Burrow first overall, and it was assumed he would be a top target of Burrow’s for years to come. 

Higgins totaled 257 catches for 3,684 receiving yards and 24 receiving touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons, with his best years unsurprisingly occurring in 2021 and 2022 — when Burrow was healthy. He amassed 74 catches and more than 1,000 yards in each of those seasons as well as 13 receiving touchdowns. He battled through both injuries and inefficiency in 2023 with Burrow’s health being unstable, but at the age of 25, Higgins’ prime years should still be ahead.

He requested a trade back in March, according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones, after Cincy had yet to discuss a new long-term deal with him. The Bengals already made Burrow the highest-paid player in the NFL with a five-year, $275 million extension ($55 million average per year), and they are staring down the barrel of top-dollar extension for wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase as well. 

With that in mind, any teams with receiver needs at this juncture would be wise to call the Bengals to see what the cost would be to acquire Higgins. Here are a few landing spots for the playmaker, with both a need and the financial flexibility to sign him long term. 

Potential landing spots

Washington Commanders

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who’s disgruntled and searching for a new home, expressed interest in being traded to Washington and reuniting with his college quarterback at Arizona State, Jayden Daniels — the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Should the Commanders deem the 49ers’ asking price to be too high, perhaps they pivot to Higgins and give Cincy a call.

Sure, Washington already has Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin in place, but after that it’s a bunch of youngsters. Providing Daniels with two proven wide receivers from the get-go could accelerate his NFL development, and the Commanders currently have a little over $37 million in cap space at the moment, the second most in the league, according to OverTheCap.com. The Bengals also get the benefit of trading Higgins out of the AFC with this move, something that sometimes matters in deals of this magnitude. 

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots currently have the most cap space in the entire league at the moment — $43.763 million, per OverTheCap.com — and they have a dire need at their wide receiver position. Their WR room at the moment is led by veteran Kendrick Bourne, veteran K.J. Osborn, second-year receiver DeMario Douglas, 2024 second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk, 2024 fourth-round rookie Javon Baker and journeyman Jalen Reagor.

New England also has quarterback Drake Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which it’s trying to develop. Providing him with a true No. 1 receiver would only accelerate his growth. Bills quarterback Josh Allen (Stefon Diggs), Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (Tyreek Hill) and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (A.J. Brown) all took major leaps after their respective teams traded for a big-time wideout. The Patriots doing the same could have a similar effect down the road. 

New York Jets

The New York Jets don’t have a ton of cap space left to play with for this season ($6.254 million), but they could get creative in their accounting for a Higgins extension by providing him with a massive signing bonus and backloading his contract to defer larger cap hits to future years. 

Gang Green’s window to contend with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, who turns 41 on Dec. 2 and is coming off an Achilles tear, at quarterback will likely be only for couple years or so. Both All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams and Rogers have talked about the potential of the Jets reuniting Rodgers with his top Green Bay Packers target. However, a trade and contract for Higgins will most certainly cost less than trading for Adams, who has three years remaining on a five-year, $140 million contract. 

This deal could make sense for the Jets if acquiring Adams doesn’t materialize as a real opportunity. 

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers saw both of their longtime top wide receivers — Keenan Allen and Mike Williams — depart this offseason, leaving Joshua Palmer, 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston and 2024 second-round pick Ladd McConkey as quarterback Justin Herbert’s top three receivers. 

Yes, new head coach Jim Harbaugh has spoken repeatedly about the value he places in winning up front at the line of scrimmage, and new Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman is known for his run-heavy offenses during his years with Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers (2011-2014) as well as his brother John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens  (2019-2022). However, trading for Higgins could provide a veteran presence that both Johnston and McConkey could learn from plus a new, young reliable deep threat for Herbert. 

The Chargers have $20.656 million cap space for this season, and they are projected to have just under $43 million ($42.926 million) in cap space in 2025. Trading for, and signing, Higgins could be a smart short- and long-term move for a Chargers squad that could rebound quickly under Harbaugh.