The Cincinnati Bengals could very well decide to franchise tag star wide receiver Tee Higgins in hopes of retaining him for at least one more season. Higgins agrees to play under it in an ideal world, giving the Bengals another real Super Bowl shot with quarterback Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase leading the charge.
However, the odds that Higgins agrees to these conditions are slim, and instead, he will likely hold out for a trade if necessary. There are a plethora of teams that would offer PFSN’s No. 1 free agent a lucrative contract, but many of those same front offices will understandably pick up the phone for trade negotiations.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are far from the most discussed suitor for Higgins but are a dark horse candidate to land the 6’4″ star.
Bengals Predicted To Deal Tee Higgins to Jaguars
Most anticipated that QB Trevor Lawrence would take the leap to stardom in his fourth season, but instead, the Jaguars greatly failed to meet expectations.
Because of this, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton predicts Cincinnati’s front office will cut ties with Higgins via a blockbuster trade with Jacksonville. Moton shockingly projects the Jaguars to send the Bengals the No. 5 pick for Higgins and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
“This is a dream scenario for Cincinnati if it trades Higgins. The Bengals would put themselves in a position to draft the wideout’s replacement, perhaps Arizona product Tetairoa McMillan, a big-bodied receiver at 6’5″, 212 pounds. The club can also address its defensive needs in the first round with the 17th pick,” Moton wrote.
“The Jaguars may not have a slam-dunk prospect to take at No. 5 and may be more willing to acquire a proven wide receiver.”
Lawrence slotted at No. 31 in PFSN’s QB+ metric, but it’s worth noting his season was cut short due to injury. He finished the 2024 campaign with 2,045 yards, 11 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while leading the Jaguars to an underwhelming record of 2-8.
Moton pointed out why Jacksonville could be such an appealing landing spot for Higgins, writing, “Also, the Jaguars would have a flashback to Clemson’s fourth-ranked scoring offense between 2018 and 2019, with Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, and Higgins back together again. That trio helped Clemson win a national title in 2018 and go 14-1 the following term.”
The Jaguars had huge expectations entering last season, and the addition of Higgins would put on that same level of pressure heading into next year. Taking an offense that ranked No. 18 according to PFSN into the top 10 could make all the difference for Jacksonville making noise in the AFC.
