Up until Monday, the wide receiver Tee Higgins was allegedly not the subject of any trade queries for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Since Cincinnati placed the franchise tag on Higgins last month, no team has contacted the Bengals with a trade offer for him, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Higgins has asked for a trade, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday. The wide receiver is “disappointed” that the Bengals haven’t held talks with him about a long-term contract since March 2023.
Florio surmised that rather than organizations not being interested in Higgins, it’s possible that teams were just unaware of his availability.
If the Bengals had permitted Higgins to enter the free agent market, his age and production virtually assure that he would be the wide receiver with the largest contract available.
However, Higgins’ only option should the Bengals decide not to sign his franchise contract is to sit out the season. The team is under no obligation to move him.
It might make sense for the Bengals to move Higgins and obtain a draft pick if they do not intend to sign him to a long-term contract.
Joe Burrow, the quarterback selected by the Bengals with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, was given a significant weapon with the first pick of the second round.
Over his first four NFL seasons, Higgins, 25, has more than lived up to his draft status, hauling in 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns.
As a rookie, Higgins caught 67 passes for 908 yards and six touchdowns, narrowly missing the 1,000-yard plateau. Then, in 2021 and 2022, he had his two best seasons to date, with 74 receptions for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns and 74 receptions for 1,029 yards and seven scores, respectively.
In 2021 and 2022, Higgins was perhaps the best No. 2 receiver in football behind Ja’Marr Chase, but injuries plagued him greatly the previous season.
Burrow missed seven games, forcing backup quarterback Jake Browning into action. He missed five games on his own.
Higgins consequently had his lowest career statistical season, hauling in 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns.
Due to injuries and the fact that he was without his quarterback for a significant portion of the 2023 season, Higgins is more likely to get a pass from teams than if that had negatively affected his value in the eyes of other NFL clubs.
