Bills Named Contender to Land $22 Million WR After Trade Request

Getty Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins will be a free agent for the first time in 2024.

The Buffalo Bills are in the hunt for a proven wide receiver after the departure of Gabe Davis in free agency, and could look to an AFC rival to help fill the void.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on March 12 that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins requested a trade after talks on a long-term contract extension fell dormant for a full year. While the cost would likely be high as Higgins has become the top available receiver, some insiders believe the Bills could be a contender to land him.

Tee Higgins Shared Love for Buffalo

As USA Today reporter Robert Zeglinski recalled, Higgins shared some love for the Bills last month when asked which quarterbacks he would like to play with in the future. Higgins named Bills quarterback Josh Allen, along with signal callers from some other top AFC contenders.

ESPN reporter Bill Barnwell also put the Bills in the “Tee Higgins trade zone,” predicting that it could take a late first-round pick to land him. The Bills made a similar move in 2020, sending the No. 22 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

It is not clear what asking price the Bengals may place on Higgins, or whether they would be willing to part with him at all. The team officially placed their franchise tag on Higgins last month, issuing a one-year tender worth close to $21.8 million for the coming season.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin praised Higgins at the time, making it clear that the receiver remained in their long-term plans.

“It’s really simple: He’s a good player, we want to keep him, and we have resources to do that, so we decided early to do it,” Tobin said, via NFL.com. “And that’s where we are. We like Tee. We’re a better team with Tee. With the way we managed our cap, we had the ability to put the franchise tag on him, and we did.”

Zeglinski also threw some cold water on the idea of the Bills landing Higgins in a trade, predicting that the Bengals would be hesitant to send a top receiver to another AFC Super Bowl contender.

Bills Could Save Draft Pick, Land Receiver Prospect

Many insiders predict the Bills will go the opposite direction this offseason, holding onto their first-round draft pick and using it on one of the talented wide receivers. Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News noted that the Bills not only need to replace the production of Davis for the next season, they also need to start thinking about who could be their No. 1 in the future.

“That makes receiver both a short- and long-term need, because the Bills need to groom a replacement for Stefon Diggs soon, too,” Skurski wrote.

There are some differing ideas on who the Bills could land in the draft. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports predicted that the Bills would use their No. 28 overall pick on Oregon receiver Troy Franklin, the 6-foot-3 target with a knack for making big plays. Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News thought the Bills would go after another big pass-catcher, 6-foot-4 LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr.