Trade Packages NFL Teams Should Be Offering for Bengals WR Tee Higgins

The Cincinnati Bengals franchise-tagged wide receiver Tee Higgins in March, but there's still a realistic chance that he'll suit up for another team in 2024.

The cash-strapped Bengals will be hard-pressed to afford a long-term, market-value extension for Higgins. They already signed star quarterback Joe Burrow to a record five-year, $275 million extension last offseason, and No. 1 wideout Ja'Marr Chase is now eligible for an extension as well.

Although NFL insider Jordan Schultz believes Cincinnati won't acquiesce to the trade request Higgins made last month, anything could happen during the lead-up to the 2024 NFL draft. Considering the Bengals haven't even started negotiations with Chase, they may shift gears and decide dealing Higgins is their best path forward.

There should be plenty of suitors if the Bengals do make Higgins available. He was in line to be one of the more coveted free agents of the 2024 class before being franchise-tagged, and he should still drum up plenty of trade interest despite his down 2023 campaign.

Higgins began his career with three consecutive seasons with at least 67 receptions, 908 yards and six scores before injuries limited him to only 656 yards and five touchdowns on 42 catches last season. He suited up for only 12 games after appearing in 46 contests over his first three years.

The Bengals could even drive up the price for Higgins by taking one of the coveted early-round wideouts off the board with the No. 18 overall pick. There are five receivers in the top 25 of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's latest big board, including realistic targets for Cincinnati like LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. and Florida State's Keon Coleman.

With that in mind, here are some trade packages that rival teams could put on the table to pry Higgins away from the Bengals.

Salary cap data courtesy of Spotrac.

Cincinnati Bengals receive: 2024 first-round draft pick (No. 7 overall)

Tennessee Titans receive: 2024 first-round draft pick (No. 18 overall), WR Tee Higgins

The Tennessee Titans have been steadily building up their skill-position talent to give quarterback Will Levis the best chance of succeeding during a make-or-break sophomore season. After landing DeAndre Hopkins in free agency last year, the team continued to reinforce its wideout corps by signing Calvin Ridley this offseason.

The Titans may not be finished adding pass-catching talent, either. They could swing for the fences and assemble one of the NFL's most dangerous receiver units by trading for Higgins.

A trade to the Titans would reunite Higgins with new head coach Brian Callahan, who spent the past five seasons as the Bengals' offensive coordinator. During an interview with The Sick Podcast, Higgins said he enjoyed playing under Callahan and it would be "good going back home" to his native state.

Finances wouldn't be a major hurdle for the Titans to clear. They currently have $31.8 million in available cap space, the third-most in the league right now. They'd have plenty of cushion to absorb Higgins' salary and issue an extension that Spotrac projects to be in the $18.6 million per year range.

If Higgins' market ends up being hot, the Bengals could make a big jump up the board on draft night. Parlaying the receiver and the No. 18 overall pick into the No. 7 pick could set Cincinnati up for sustained success in the future.

That move would put Cincinnati well within striking distance to land an elite replacement for Higgins. At No. 7, the team would almost be guaranteed one of Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers, the consensus top three wideouts in the 2024 class.

While it's far from a sure bet that any of these players will develop into a pass-catcher of Higgins' caliber, they're all blue-chip prospects with All-Pro potential. Even if they cap out as a fringe Pro Bowler like Higgins currently is, the Bengals would still be getting that production locked in on an affordable rookie contract for a half-decade.

Cincinnati Bengals receive: 2024 second-round draft pick (No. 34 overall)

New England Patriots receive: WR Tee Higgins, 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 214 overall)

The New England Patriots appear poised to start the Jerod Mayo era off by selecting a quarterback early in the 2024 draft. If they do so, it will be imperative to augment their young signal-caller with high quality pass-catchers.

The Pats would be hard-pressed to find a better option on the trade market than Higgins. He's still young enough to develop alongside their rookie quarterback for the foreseeable future, but he already has enough experience to provide veteran savvy and leadership both on the field and in the locker room. With a league-high $47.4 million in cap room to work with, New England can easily fit a long-term contract extension in for Higgins.

If the Bengals are willing to take nothing but draft capital in exchange for Higgins, they might not find a better offer than New England's second-rounder.

Although several other standout receivers have recently fetched first-round returns—including the Tennessee Titans netting the No. 18 overall pick for A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft—Higgins' lack of accolades and impending contract extension hinder his value. Brown had already made a Pro Bowl and still had a year left on his rookie deal when the Titans shipped him to the Philadelphia Eagles, so the Bengals should be more than happy securing a premium Day 2 pick here.

While New England would be giving up a relatively lofty selection for Higgins and could even be overpaying based on his efforts last season, Cincinnati's brass could sweeten the pot by tossing in the latter of their two sixth-round selections.

The move would fill one of the biggest holes on the Patriots roster and help form the foundation of what should be a complete overhaul of the club's receiving corps. The Bengals would also benefit by bringing in what should be an impact rookie at No. 34 overall, a spot where they can land one of the top prospects who slipped through the first-round cracks.

Cincinnati Bengals receive: 2025 second-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 163)

Buffalo Bills receive: WR Tee Higgins

The Buffalo Bills have massive voids at wide receiver that they need to fill soon to keep pace in what should be a highly competitive AFC East race. After dominating the division for the last four years, Buffalo is in grave danger of falling behind after losing Gabe Davis at the onset of free agency and trading top receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans last week.

Trading Diggs not only left the Bills without a true No. 1 receiver on their roster, but it also gave them little in the way of cap room. While ESPN's Adam Schefter recently said the Bills "can't afford" Higgins in wake of the Diggs trade and believes the team will have to rely on draft picks to reinforce its receiving corps, Buffalo's brass could get creative with cuts, restructures and Higgins' extension to work around the $4.2 million in cap space that the club currently possesses.

Considering the team added more than $27 million of breathing room against the 2025 cap by parting ways with Diggs, a long-term extension for Higgins could be doable. While Higgins may not have the Pro Bowl pedigree of Diggs, he's just entering his prime and looks like the ideal replacement for the veteran given the alternatives left on the open market.

The Bills may be light on premium 2024 picks—they have only two selections (Nos. 28 and 60) during the first two days of the draft— but they could use the 2025 second-rounder that they acquired in the Diggs trade to land Higgins. The Bengals may also be able to negotiate for one of the seven picks that Buffalo has between Nos. 128 and 204 as a throw-in to give the club an additional prospect this year.

Trading for Higgins alone may not be enough to keep Buffalo's passing attack among the league's best, but it would be a great start. He would be a sure thing for star quarterback Josh Allen to rely on while the offense works to integrate any rookies.

This trade would effectively create the nucleus of a new-look Bills receiving corps, one that would be brimming with upside and potential.

Cincinnati Bengals receive: 2024 second-round pick (No. 48 overall), 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 236 overall)

Jacksonville Jaguars receive: WR Tee Higgins

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been struggling to put enough receiving talent around Trevor Lawrence during the early stages of his promising career. Calvin Ridley fared well as the rising star quarterback's top option last season, but he elected to sign with the Tennessee Titans in free agency this offseason.

Ridley's departure has left free-agent pickup Gabe Davis and incumbent slot wideout Christian Kirk as Lawrence's top targets for 2024. That isn't good enough for a team that already regressed last year, missing the playoffs entirely after orchestrating one of the most exciting postseason victories of all time in 2022.

Jacksonville can't afford to squander more of Lawrence's formative years, especially while he's locked into a rookie-scale contract. While the team has already started working toward a long-term extension for Lawrence, he's only entering his fourth NFL season and has a meager $11.7 million cap hit for 2024.

Giving Davis a three-year, $39 million contract was a decent start to filling out the receiving corps, but Jacksonville needs to do more to feel good about its chances of topping the AFC South in 2024. With $12.7 million in available cap space and options to clear more at their disposal, the Jaguars should find a way to acquire Higgins before or during the draft.

Because the Jags didn't sign Ridley to a new deal, they had to send the No. 79 overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons rather than the No. 48 pick. They can now use No. 48 as trade bait to acquire Ridley's replacement.

It remains to be seen if the Bengals would be willing to take only a mid-second round pick for Higgins—they might want a late-round throw-in as well—but the wideout's market could be cooler than expected due to his impending extension and lack of production in 2023.

If Jacksonville's Round 2 pick is the best offer the table, Cincinnati may be better served locking in a quality prospect for the next few years instead of wringing out one more season from Higgins and losing him for nothing more than a compensatory pick in 2025.