After the Bengals gave superstar quarterback Joe Burrow a monster contract extension early in this season, the writing was on the wall that elite wide receiver Tee Higgins was on his way out. While the salary cap increased to $240 million this offseason, there simply won’t be enough money to go around for all of the playmakers on the offensive side of the ball in 2023. After demonstrating in Cincinnati that he is an elite red zone target, Higgins will be starting a massive bidding war for his services in the next few weeks with the opportunity to basically go to whatever team he chooses.
Where will Tee Higgins end up in 2024?
It is one thing for a player to be in demand but only a couple weeks into the season, Higgins has proven to be the hottest commodity on the free agent market. There are players who are in demand and then there are players who have elite talent actively recruiting them. Here are a few examples of the teams that are recruiting Higgins.
Cleveland Browns
While Cincinnati fans will hate to see Higgins leave town, the worst case scenario is for their star player to go to another team in the division. Recently, star Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson took to the media and started actively advocating for Higgins to move to Cleveland.
“Hey, Tee. I know you was down the road, family ties. You know AB (Andrew Berry) ain’t afraid to spend money. You’ll get the ball. We want to pass the ball, you know what I’m saying? So that’s what we are going to do. We are going to pass it a lot to Chubb and Ford.”
#Browns QB Deshaun Watson has made his pitch for the #Browns to sign FA WR Tee Higgens:
“We wanna pass the ball”
“We’re gonna take good care of you”
“The Cleveland fans gonna love you to death, and we have the #Clemson ties”
(Via @Lockerverse) pic.twitter.com/hmlBDoWJEt
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 27, 2024
While Higgins would certainly be welcome in Cleveland, the offensive scheme may not be a perfect fit. The current Cleveland offense has an established power run game that dominates opposing defenses with some deep shots mixed in. While Higgins could be the perfect post man to go up and get the ball in the end zone for Watson, it seems like he would be a waste on such a strong running team. There is also speculation that the team will be moving on from elite running back Nick Chubb after the superstar back suffered an ACL tear last season and this recruitment from Watson will only fuel those rumors.
New York Jets
If I were Higgins, this is a move that seems particularly incredibly enticing after the team traded for Aaron Rodgers last preseason and the quarterback will have a lot to prove this upcoming season. Clearly New York has one of the best defenses in the NFL and Higgins seems like he would be one of the final pieces after Rodgers forced the team to bring in a full slate of receivers he likes last season but probably not receivers that will get the team to the Super Bowl. A combination of Higgins and elite Ohio State product Garrett Wilson would be a remarkable duo for Rodgers to throw to.
Calvin Ridley & Tee https://t.co/cdwueg5T0V
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) January 23, 2024
The advocacy from elite University of Cincinnati product Sauce Gardner to bring in Higgins is certainly huge as well. Gardner was a superstar at UC and Higgins would give New York one of the best pairs of receivers in the NFL as well as one of the best pairs of cornerbacks in the NFL. With Higgins in New York, they would likely be among the Super Bowl favorites for the 2024 season.
Other Possible Teams?
In reality, any team would be lucky to come back with Higgins next offseason. There is also some chatter that a reunion with his former offensive coordinator Brian Callahan in Tennessee would be plausible but there is also talk that Higgins would be a huge piece to improve the roster in Jacksonville. Higgins is certainly one of the most talented free agents this offseason and in a pass heavy league, Higgins could be the final piece to establish a super bowl contender.
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