Tee Higgins

The Cincinnati Bengals reportedly haven't spoken with franchise-tagged wide receiver Tee Higgins since his reported trade request last month.

According to ESPN's Matt Miller, a source said the two sides haven't been in communication, but the Bengals are in "win-now mode" and believe they can compete with the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC title.

Miller noted that the uncertainty of Higgins' future in Cincinnati could compel the Bengals to use their first-round pick on a wideout, but ESPN's Ben Baby called offensive tackle a "much more pressing need," after they signed Trent Brown to a one-year deal to be the starting right tackle.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in March that Higgins had requested a trade after the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him and hadn't engaged in long-term contract talks with him since March 2023.

The Bengals are under no obligation for trade Higgins, but if he holds out and refuses to sign the franchise tender, he could force Cincinnati's hand to some degree.

Higgins, 25, was a second-round pick by the Bengals in 2020, which was the same year they took quarterback Joe Burrow first overall.

After finishing with 908 yards as a rookie, Higgins had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022, recording 74 receptions for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns in 2021, and 74 catches for 1,029 yards and seven scores in 2022.

Expectations were high once again in 2023, but injuries caused him to miss five games and limited him in others. As a result, he set career lows across the board with 42 grabs for 656 yards and five touchdowns.

Higgins was also adversely impacted by Burrow missing seven games due to injury, but he should be healthy in 2024.

Another situation that could impact Higgins' future with the Bengals is that of fellow star wideout Ja'Marr Chase, who will be due a massive contract extension soon since 2024 is the final year of his contract.

The Bengals will likely exercise the fifth-year option in his deal for 2025, but a new Chase contract is very much on the horizon regardless.

If the Bengals do decide to address the wide receiver position early in the 2024 draft due to Higgins' status, LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. could be the best wideout available and of interest to them at No. 18 overall.

It's no secret that the Buffalo Bills are in the market for wide receivers, especially after trading No. 1 wideout Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.

However, that help should be coming via the draft and not a trade for someone like the Cincinnati Bengals' Tee Higgins, who is someone that the Bills "can't afford" to get right now, per ESPN's Adam Schefter on NFL Live (8:35 mark).

"The Buffalo Bills were already doing a lot of work on the wide receivers in this draft class," Schefter said.

"And if you look at it, with the money they take on by trading Diggs right now, essentially, they can't afford to go trade for a wide receiver like Tee Higgins and sign him to a long-term extension. So if they're going to find help, it has to come through the draft."

Schefter added that the Bills have "positioned themselves" to take "one, maybe two" wide receivers in this year's class. Buffalo notably has 10 draft choices, with the top two at No. 28 overall and No. 60.

Higgins has requested a trade after the Bengals placed a franchise tag on the four-year veteran, who has amassed 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns during his NFL stint. He's due for a big payday. Of note, Brad Spielberger predicted on Pro Football Focus in May 2023 that Higgins would land a four-year, $97 million deal ($32.25 million guaranteed).

Rib and hamstring injuries limited Higgins to just 12 games in 2023, but he still managed 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns.

He's ultimately going to get a big payday somewhere, but that won't be with the Bills, who carry a $31.096 million dead cap charge in 2024 post-Diggs trade.

Bengals and NFL analyst Joe Goodberry provided his take on the possibility.

The good news for the Bills is that there's no shortage of wideout talent available in the draft. The latest B/R NFL Scouting Department board lists 17 wide receivers among the top 78 prospects in this year's class.

The top three (Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU's Malik Nabers and Washington's Rome Odunze) are assuredly out of the Bills' range and should go top 10.

But it's certainly possible the Bills use one of their top-two picks (if not both) on a talented wideout who should be called upon to contribute immediately and help replenish the lost production from both Diggs and Gabriel Davis, who left in free agency for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While a lot of fans have shifted their focus to the 2024 NFL draft at this stage of the offseason, free agency could still spring a surprise or two.

Broadly speaking, teams have burned through much of the cash they had available. What's left is being reserved for their draft picks and any surprise cuts that are made between now and the final roster deadline in August.

Here's a look at salary cap space for every team with the draft now a month away:

Salary Cap Space

• Arizona Cardinals: $31,492,212
• Atlanta Falcons: $2,665,642 
• Baltimore Ravens: $13,884,766
• Buffalo Bills: $7,477,440
• Carolina Panthers: $12,171,625 
• Chicago Bears: $22,702,288 
• Cincinnati Bengals: $27,692,155 
• Cleveland Browns: $3,868,435
• Dallas Cowboys: $5,511,636 
• Denver Broncos: $22,558,779 
• Detroit Lions: $26,691,352 
• Green Bay Packers: $22,037,379 
• Houston Texans: $20,385,499 
• Indianapolis Colts: $22,434,796 
• Jacksonville Jaguars: $12,536,442 
• Kansas City Chiefs: $7,608,425
• Las Vegas Raiders: $28,345,943
• Los Angeles Chargers: $35,304,335 
• Los Angeles Rams: $20,760,851 
• Miami Dolphins: $10,356,904
• Minnesota Vikings: $23,944,927
• New England Patriots: $50,084,159
• New Orleans Saints: $14,412,558 
• New York Giants: $8,731,928 
• New York Jets: $8,527,588 
• Philadelphia Eagles: $33,657,986 
• Pittsburgh Steelers: $14,317,407 
• San Francisco 49ers: $12,794,910
• Seattle Seahawks: $4,243,670 
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $13,718,943
• Tennessee Titans: $45,781,098 
• Washington Commanders: $49,495,249

Cap data courtesy of Over the Cap

There are still some potential difference-makers who are unsigned.

Edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney matched his career high in sacks (9.5) in 2023, and he ranked fifth in pass rush win rate (25 percent) at the position, per ESPN.com. The New York Jets are reportedly keen on landing him after having missed out on Shaq Barrett.

Justin Simmons earned the second Pro Bowl nod of his career after posting 70 tackles and intercepting three passes with eight pass breakups. Julian Blackmon set personal bests in tackles (88) and interceptions (four). Between them, teams in need of a safety have a straightforward solution before the draft.

The receiver market includes a few notable names.

Odell Beckham Jr. is never going to replicate his peak yet remains a solid secondary option. Tyler Boyd (67 receptions for 667 yards and two touchdowns) continues to be a relatively consistent slot wideout. Like Beckham, Michael Thomas has seen his career derailed by injuries, but he could be worth a short-term flier in the right situation.

Then there are the players who received the franchise tag and have yet to hammer out an extension: wide receiver Tee Higgins, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and edge-rusher Josh Allen. Until they officially sign the one-year tender, they agree to a multiyear pact with their current team or find somebody else who will meet their asking price.

The latter was ultimately the resolution to L'Jarius Sneed's situation as he was reportedly traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Tennessee Titans, with a new contract likely to follow.

The advantages of having a lot of salary cap space are obviously much lower now with the top free agents off the board.

But a handful of teams are sitting on somewhat significant war chests and most of that money is going to get spent one way or another.

Two weeks after Tee Higgins requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, the organization is at least open to engaging with the possibility of moving the star wide receiver.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter on Saturday that the Bengals have been "willing to listen" to offers for Higgins recently.

"He wants out, he has made the trade request. I talked to a few teams who are interested who believe that the Bengals are at least willing to listen. That's a little softer than they might have been a year ago where they definitely were not trading him. So, teams are going to try to pry him out. New England's been high-end shopping for receiver help, perhaps they try to give up a Day 2 pick to get Higgins."

The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins on Feb. 26, more than one week before the March 5 deadline. The one-year tender for wide receivers is worth $21.8 million guaranteed in 2024.

It was assumed they acted so quickly because the two sides weren't close on a long-term deal and the club wanted to get out front on potential trade talks, though director of player personnel Duke Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor both pushed back on that notion.

"He's one of the top receivers in this league," Taylor told reporters at the NFL combine, "and we don't want that just walking out of the building. So when you've got an opportunity to put a tag on him and keep him in the building and let him play at least another season for us, I think that's critical."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on March 11 that Higgins requested a trade and he was "disappointed" because the Bengals haven't had any talks with his camp about a long-term extension since March 2023.

Even though the Bengals are reportedly willing to hear offers for Higgins, it's still unclear how motivated they are to move him. There's always the possibility he has an extended holdout if nothing happens, but we saw last year with multiple running backs who got tagged that it's very hard for players to truly threaten teams by missing games and not getting paid.

Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs were able to leverage their holdouts into a little more money than the tag value from their teams last year, but they still wound up playing on one-year deals because they were unable to sign long-term extensions prior to the deadline for tagged players to do so.

The Bengals are still $27.7 million under the cap right now, even with Higgins' $21.8 million salary factored in. They could go into next season with him on their roster and be fine financially.

For a team that's going to have Super Bowl aspirations if Joe Burrow is healthy, it wouldn't be the worst strategy to keep Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase together for one more year.

It doesn't sound like that's what Higgins wants, especially if he can secure a long-term contract from another organization.

The Bengals might be better off dragging this out until the NFL draft when teams that might miss out on one of the top receivers decide to make a more enticing offer for Higgins.

Injuries limited Higgins to just 12 games last season. He recorded career-lows in targets (76), receptions (42), receiving yards (656) and touchdowns (five). The 25-year-old averaged 72 receptions, 1,009 yards and six touchdowns in his first three seasons from 2020 to '22.