While Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins wants to know his long-term fate as soon as possible, outsiders continue to suggest alternatives.
If the Bengals can’t come to terms on an extension with Higgins while also paying Ja’Marr Chase, they have a bevy of other ways they could attempt to fill the void left by his departure in free agency.
The most prominent example right now making the rounds comes in the wake of the revelation that the Los Angeles Rams are attempting to trade wideout Cooper Kupp.
ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky listed the Bengals as just one of four teams that make sense as a fit for Kupp.
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To be blunt, the fit doesn’t make a lot of sense. Kupp has a past with Zac Taylor and might be interesting on the same field as Chase.
But the surrounding factors are the issue. On the money front, Kupp would be due $20 million in 2025 and nearly that same number in 2026 — after the Bengals cough up assets to strike the trade (and if he doesn’t want an extension upon arrival).
Kupp is also going on 32 years old in June and hasn’t played a full season since 2021. He played in just 12 games in each of the last two seasons and nine the year before that.
The Bengals just don’t make a habit of paying their own guys over 30 big contracts, let alone somebody else. And if they aren’t bringing back Higgins, they figure to roll the cash spend to another problem area on the roster, not the spot with a historic, top-in-league contract already.
If the Bengals manage to lose Higgins in the coming months, they will probably be looking for more reliable attendance at a more affordable rate. But until the future at wideout becomes clear for the team, suggestions like this will keep making the rounds.
