Tee Higgins has requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, just a couple of weeks after he was franchise tagged for the 2024 season.
Higgins played out the final year of his rookie deal in 2023, and while he has reportedly wanted to stay with the Bengals, he and the team haven’t hammered out a long-term contract extension. Now, instead of playing on the franchise tag, Higgins is looking to take his talents to another NFL team.
So, where could the former Clemson star land if a trade is made?
On NFL Live, ESPN’s Mina Kimes mentioned a couple possible suitors for Higgins – the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.
“Both teams with young quarterbacks — assuming New England spends that first pick on a rookie quarterback – who would be very helped by having Tee Higgins as their No. 1 wide receiver. Teams that could draft a wide receiver with those picks. But I feel like because of the age of the quarterbacks and the build of the roster and the fact they both have cap space, they make sense as destinations for a receiver who’s already proved that he can be a No. 1 in the NFL.”
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky chimed in on the Higgins discussion as well, saying he likes those two teams as potential fits for Higgins.
The former 12-year NFL quarterback also brought up two other teams that he believes would be good landing spots for Higgins.
“Two others that I would throw out – Tennessee, they’re going to have to rebuild the talent around Will Levis, and then the Detroit Lions,” Orlovsky said. “If the Detroit Lions added Tee Higgins to that offense with an Amon-Ra St. Brown and a Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs, you’re talking about as explosive a unit as we have in the NFL. I agree with Mina. If you’re a team that’s late first round, early second round and you have the cap space, this is a player that you think about trading for, investing that capital in and maybe not taking one of those early first round wide receivers in this year’s draft.”
Higgins, a 2020 second-round pick of the Bengals, has hauled in 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns in his productive NFL career thus far.
You can check out more of the NFL Live talk about Higgins’ trade request below:
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