The trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and the Bengals have a tough decision to make regarding their star wide receiver, Tee Higgins. Higgins, the 25-year-old fourth-year man out of Clemson, is the best offensive player on the team behind Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. He’s playing on a $21.8 million franchise tag and will be a free agent in March. But should the Bengals let him walk for nothing?
Tough Decisions
After a win last Sunday, the Bengals sit at 3-4. There’s a chance that they could be 3-6 or 5-4 at the deadline. The record will be a huge indicator of whether the Bengals will trade Higgins. The last Bengals player to be dealt at the deadline was Carlos Dunlap in 2020. It’s a rarity that the Bengals make a trade at all, but I think they should deal Higgins if they’re out of the running.
Trading Tee Higgins would be crushing to the offense, that is for certain. However, the Bengals can’t let him walk away for nothing. Even a 2nd round pick would benefit the Bengals greatly. I believe they could even muster a few top-100 picks, including a first-rounder, with the way Higgins has played.
Since returning from his hamstring injury, Higgins has 341 yards and 3 touchdowns in 5 games. In my opinion, he has been equally as impressive as Ja’Marr Chase. With a dry receiver market in March, I feel teams will be willing to spend more draft capital to beat the clock.
It certainly will be one of the toughest decisions the Bengals have ever made. But that’s what you get when you fail to negotiate a long-term deal before the player runs out of patience.
What Happens if the Bengals Are Winning?
The Bengals can be over .500 before the trade deadline approaches after week 9. They will be on a short week before traveling to Baltimore for Thursday night football. This leads me to believe that if Tee Higgins is up for trade, they’ll do it after their game against Philadelphia. If the Bengals win on Sunday, expect there not to be a trade. Even if they lose, a trade is a long shot.
The Bengals are very adamant that they can turn it around whenever they want. They will compete until the final nail is hammered into the coffin (elimination from the postseason). So truthfully, I believe that the Bengals will keep who they have regardless of free agency status.
What’s Next With Tee Higgins?
Win or lose, Tee Higgins will likely be on the roster until the season ends. I’d expect the Bengals to try to negotiate, but Higgins seems to likely be headed to a new home regardless of what the Bengals offer.
The Bengals could do the smart thing and set themselves up for the future, but that just isn’t how they operate. Personally, from a fan standpoint alone and disregarding the business side of the sport, I’d love to keep Tee Higgins for the remainder of the season. I think the Bengals are starting to figure out how to finish games. They’re catching fire, and trading Higgins would immediately put it out. Especially after a couple of injuries transpired last weekend.
Tee Higgins is way too valuable to this team and its success throughout the year. They likely won’t win a Super Bowl this season. Hell, they might not make the playoffs. But they are going to fight like hell, and I can’t wait to see how this team finishes.
