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The Cincinnati Bengals may have missed their window when it comes to the first part of the Joe Burrow era.
Off to 1-4 start to the 2024 regular season, Cincinnati faces enough of an uphill battle at this point that it’s more than fair to start looking at how to best maximize assets moving forward — meaning pretty much everyone but Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase can count their jobs up for grabs.
The most valuable asset on the team outside of Burrow and Chase is wide receiver Tee Higgins, who is playing on the franchise tag of $21.816 million for 2024 and spent the offseason demanding a trade after his hopes of an extension were dashed.
ESPN’s Ben Solak put forth a trade proposal on October 8 between the Bengals and Washington Commanders that brings Higgins to D.C. in return for conditional third round picks in 2025 and 2026.
After sitting out the first 2 games of the season with a hamstring injury, Higgins has 18 receptions for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns in 3 games.
“One of the biggest sellers at last year’s deadline should be one of the most aggressive buyers at this year’s deadline,” Solak wrote. “With rookie QB Jayden Daniels looking like the real deal, the Commanders can now aggressively spend to build a contending team and maximize his rookie contract window. Higgins is awesome on those vertical one-on-ones that are a huge part of Daniels’ game and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, and he brings a size dimension that’s currently lacking on the Commanders’ receiving corps.”
Higgins’ Offseason Filled With Drama Over Contract
The Bengals went into the season with Super Bowl hopes but an offseason filled with drama — including essentially no training camp time for Chase or Higgins — has them off to a 1-4 start.
Higgins was a second-round pick by the Bengals in 2020 (No. 33 overall) out of Clemson and signed a 4-year, $8.68 million rookie contract. He had over 900 receiving yards as a rookie followed by back-to-back seasons over 1,000 receiving yards in 2021 and 2022.
In a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI, Higgins had four receptions for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In 2023, Higgins’ production dropped off dramatically with career lows in receptions (42) receiving yards (656) and touchdowns (5). He also missed a career-high 6 games with rib and hamstring injuries.
Higgins’ Market Value Skyrocketed in Offseason
It turns out that the Bengals could have signed Higgins right after the end of the season for what now seems like a bargain price.
According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Higgins was looking for a 3-year, $70 million contract extension similar to the 3-year, $71.5 million contract extension signed by Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman in February 2024.
In the ensuing months, wide receiver contracts went into the stratosphere, with 5 of the 6 biggest contracts for the position in NFL history signed in that stretch — and with Chase still seeking out his own mega-contract.
As that money went out, Higgins’ value went up — he would no doubt challenge veteran Terry McLaurin for the No. 1 wide receiver spot on the Commanders from the moment he stepped in the locker room.
According to Spotrac, Higgins’ market value now translates to a 5-year, $98.5 million contract — an average annual value of $19.7 million per year.
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