Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is going to keep coming up in trade speculation ahead of the deadline no matter what transpires on the field before November 5.
After all, Higgins got hit with the franchise tag and is presumed to be leaving via free agency next summer. Even if the Bengals were 4-1 instead of 1-4, his name would come up because, well, it’s buzzworthy.
Case in point, ESPN’s Ben Solak recently wrote that he would like to see Higgins traded to the Washington Commanders. That idea makes sense for Washington’s side: Jayden Daniels is a breakout rookie quarterback, and getting him a true No. 1 with the ample cap space would be fun for them.
Perhaps more interesting is Solak’s very accurate assessment of the problems the Bengals face now:
“But if that doesn’t happen, then the Bengals have to get serious about where they are in the life cycle of their team-building. The Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill away, and the Bills traded Stefon Diggs; when your star rookie-contract quarterback starts to hit the cap, sometimes you need him to make do with fewer expensive veteran pass catchers. Those were older players than Higgins, but if Cincinnati isn’t willing to pay him (just as the Commanders were not willing to pay Montez Sweat, the Giants were not willing to pay Leonard Williams and the Bears were not willing to pay Roquan Smith), then it has to trade him while the trading’s still good.”
The Bengals are almost 100 percent unlikely to trade Higgins. He’s been a model pro about the whole contract thing, is super talented and although slim, there’s always a chance the front office figures out a way to keep him and Ja’Marr Chase long-term — something that might be a good idea given how much Chase feasts when Higgins is on the field.
But if they hit 1-6 or so, it would behoove them to at least do due diligence, too, because it is pretty clear the roster construction on the defensive side of the ball has been grossly mishandled.
Higgins’ name power and the harsh reality of a 1-4 start will keep this conversation alive with more power than it would have had otherwise.
