Taylor Remains Steadfast In His Tee Higgins Belief
The Enquirer
Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and Tee Higgins trade rumors.
New England Patriots are still in the WR market and a TRADE for Bengals Tee Higgins is not off the table
The Bengals have been willing to listen to OFFERS pic.twitter.com/CFBv5fVxoO
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) March 24, 2024
(Okay, four, if we’re counting “Adding a third thing to the “Two things are certain in life” quote to get a point across”)
Tee Higgins rumors have been persistent for the last year, and those rumors were sent into overdrive when he requested a trade right after being franchise tagged instead of being given a contract extension.
Bengals franchise WR Tee Higgins has requested a trade, per sources. Higgins loves Cincinnati and hoped to be with the team long term, but is disappointed that the team has not had any talks about a long-term contract extension since March 2023. He’s ready to move on to a new… pic.twitter.com/T0qy7uMu8n
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2024
Head coach Zac Taylor has consistently shot down those rumors every time they’ve come about. He continued that narrative on Monday, saying that he fully expects Tee to be in stripes for the 2024 season.
How is Zac Taylor planning to manage the situation with Tee Higgins after the star WR requested a trade?
"We think he’s our best chance to help us win a Super Bowl. I’ve enjoyed working with Tee the last four years, I expect this year to be no different.”…
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) March 25, 2024
The Bengals have been reluctant to sign him to a long term deal, especially given the likely scenario that his counterpart Ja’Marr Chase will sign a massive long term deal, and deservedly so. They’re holding onto Higgins for as long as they possibly can until he reaches unrestricted free agency, or until a team absolutely sweeps them off their feet with an irresistible trade offer.
The Bengals have been open to listening to trade offers for the star receiver, and teams such as the Patriots and Chargers are without a true number one receiver. Higgins is one of the NFL’s best WR2s when healthy, and even is fully able to be a team’s number one receiver. However, he faced an injury plagued 2023 and had the lowest statistical output of his career, only catching 42 passes for 656 yards and 5 TDs.
However, several players such as Jessie Bates and Jonah Williams have played full seasons despite requesting a trade in the offseason prior. In addition, the team is likely to move on from the supremely reliable Tyler Boyd, so losing Higgins in the same offseason might be too much of a step back for the Bengals to feel comfortable pulling the trigger.
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