Getty Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins reacting ahead of an NFL game.
The New York Jets might have one more bullet in the chamber ahead of the 2024 season.
Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report presented several “shocking” trade ideas that the green and white should pursue this offseason.
One of those included a blockbuster deal to lure a dynamic pass catcher to the Big Apple.
New York Jets receive: wide receiver Tee Higgins
Cincinnati Bengals receive: a 2025 second-rounder and a 2025 third-rounder
“Higgins was franchise tagged by the Bengals in the offseason and the team may not be willing to pay him a big-money deal. The Jets have chased plenty of big names in the past and Higgins would provide a massive upgrade to the offense,” Tansey explained in a column posted on Thursday, May 22. “New York could use Higgins as a season-long rental, or look to ink him to a large contract so that he and Wilson can lead the offense for years, even after Rodgers departs. The Jets have an extra third-round pick in 2025 that will surely help them in any trade negotiations. It could send a few Day 2 picks to Cincinnati so that it can recoup something if the Higgins negotiations sour.”
Jets Could Swoop in to Steal a Disgruntled Star Player
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein called Higgins a “cheat code” coming out of the draft.
Higgins, 25, measured in at the NFL Combine at 6-foot-4 and tipped the scales at 216 pounds.
The former Clemson product has put up solid numbers in a high-flying Bengals offense. Over the last four years, Higgins has recorded 257 receptions for 3,684 receiving yards and has hauled in 24 touchdowns.
Since he entered the league as a second-round draft choice (No. 33 overall), Higgins’ rookie contract was only for four years. This means he was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason but the Bengals franchise tagged him to prevent that from happening.
He is slated to make $21.8 million on the tag for the 2024 campaign.
Kelsey Conway covers the Bengals for the Enquirer told Pat McAfee that the Higgins camp was seeking a new deal “that was similar” to the one that the Indianapolis Colts gave to Michael Pittman Jr this offseason.
Pittman signed a three-year deal for $70 million featuring $46 million of that in total guarantees. That $23.3 million annual salary ranks No. 9 among the highest-paid wide receivers in football, per Over The Cap.
However according to Conway on “The Pat McAfee Show”, Higgins’ camp “felt that the Bengals’ initial one-time offer was so low that it couldn’t even move into a conversation about guaranteed money.”
“Tee Higgins camp was looking for an offer that was similar to the Michael Pittman deal with the Colts..
His camp felt that the Bengals initial one time offer was so low that it couldn’t even move into a conversation about guaranteed money”
On March 11, Higgins requested a trade from the Bengals because of an impasse in contract negotiations or the lack thereof.
Higgins Would Bring a Star and Necessary Insurance to the WR Room
New York boasts a very solid receiving corps that has the potential to be even better than that.
However, beyond Garrett Wilson, every other wide receiver on the roster is surrounded by question marks.
Higgins would provide a proper Robin to Wilson’s Batman. If Wilson were to ever miss time, Higgins has proven he can be the top star in an offense.
If New York acquired the former Clemson product they would have a big decision to make. Do you sign Higgins to a long-term deal as part of the trade? Do you make him a rental and play things out?
Either way the price the Jets would be giving up in this proposed scenario is super reasonable. Especially when you consider the Jets added an additional third-round pick in 2025 thanks to a savvy Joe Douglas trade with the Detroit Lions during the 2024 NFL draft.