Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has been one of the more underrated wide receivers since joining the NFL in 2020. The former Clemson star had at least 900 receiving yards and six touchdowns in his first three years in the league despite playing alongside Ja'Marr Chase.
Unfortunately, he struggled with injuries last season, missing five games. Higgins had the worst year of his career, totaling 42 receptions on 76 targets for 656 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Yet, the Bengals used the franchise tag on the star wide receiver this offseason.
Higgins wants a long-term deal, but the team hasn’t opened up negotiations, resulting in him asking for a trade. Let’s look at which teams could trade for Higgins during the 2024 NFL Draft and what the compensation might be for the star receiver.
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Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have one of the worst wide receiver corps in the NFL after trading Rondale Moore to the Atlanta Falcons and losing Marquise Brown to the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency. Michael Wilson is a promising second-year player but isn’t a No. 1-caliber wide receiver. Furthermore, Arizona has Greg Dortch, Chris Moore, and Zach Pascal as its next three wide receivers on the depth chart.
Marquise Brown to sign a 1-year deal with the Chiefs.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) March 15, 2024
Thankfully, the Cardinals have plenty of draft capital to make a deal work. They have 11 total picks this year, including three in the top-35 selections and six in the top 90. Arizona could send picks 27 and 66 to Cincinnati for Higgins. That would allow the Cardinals to trade away the fourth overall pick to a quarterback-needy team without costing them the ability to add a go-to wide receiver during the NFL Draft.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina’s top wide receiver last year was Adam Thielen. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Bryce Young severely struggled as a rookie. Thankfully, the Panthers improved their offensive line in free agency and made an under-the-radar move by trading for Diontae Johnson. The veteran receiver is one of the top route runners in the NFL. He should give Young the reliable separator that he lacked as a rookie.
Trade: the Steelers are sending WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, per sources. A new weapon for Bryce Young.
Johnson has a $3 million roster bonus due Friday that the Panthers now will pay. pic.twitter.com/dt2nF83mIL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2024
However, Johnson’s arrival shouldn’t keep Carolina from trading for Higgins. The rest of the team’s receiving corps is underwhelming. Furthermore, pairing Higgins with Johnson could lead to Young having a massive sophomore-year breakout. The Panthers have two early second-round picks at 33rd and 39th overall. They could trade both to the Bengals for Higgins and a mid-round selection.
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