There is no shortage of big-named NFL stars who have been mentioned in trade rumors over the last couple of months.
Players in their contract years have especially dominated the trade rumor mill, including Jonathan Taylor, Josh Jacobs, Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, Derrick Henry and Chase Young. Several teams may wish to receive compensation for their star players rather than risk losing them for nothing in 2024 free agency, after all.
Two months ago, Bengals’ owner Mike Brown admitted that it’d be hard for the team to retain all of its core players. Joe Burrow signed his extension last week, and top wideout Ja’Marr Chase should get his new deal before long. Higgins, on the other hand, is by no means a guarantee to stay with the Bengals.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine listed six teams who should inquire about Cincy’s No. 2 pass-catcher. Those teams were the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, New England Patriots and New York Giants.
Other than the Lions with Amon-Ra St. Brown, none of Ballentine’s six listed teams have a clear-cut No. 1 receiver. But even Detroit makes sense for Higgins, given that their competitive window is only starting to open up now.
Because the Bengals are in win-now mode, however, nobody should be surprised if they decide to hold onto Higgins for the season. If they are willing to trade him, the Cincy front office should be looking for a player who could help them win now as part of the return.
