CINCINNATI — Trade Ja'Marr Chase to sign Tee Higgins? ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano sees it as a possibility following Joe Burrow's comments about wanting to keep Higgins in Cincinnati on Monday night.
Graziano's reasoning revolves around (possibly) no team wanting to pay a wide receiver more money than Justin Jefferson's $35 million per year. A number Chase has earned the right to eclipse amidst a triple-crown tracking season.
"The Bengals didn't get the deal done with Chase, who is having a potential triple-crown season," Graziano wrote. "Now he could expect to be the league's highest-paid receiver (which means more than Justin Jefferson's $35 million per year). There are a number of teams around the NFL who believe that's too much to pay a wide receiver, regardless of his talent. If the Bengals turn out to be such a team, is it possible they'd pivot? Signing Higgins would be both their best leverage against Chase in negotiations (if you don't want to be here, this guy does!) and their best insurance against losing him.
"Now, it's important to remember that because Higgins was designated as a franchise player, the Bengals are prohibited by rule from signing him to an extension before the end of this season. But they could still sign him after the season ends and before free agency opens in March, presumably for less than $35 million a year. That likely would mean trading Chase, who is under contract for 2025 for a guaranteed $21.816 million on his fifth-year option. Cincinnati could surely find a taker."
Burrow wants to play with both of these players, not one and trade the other. Cincinnati's offense thrives at the highest level when both are on the field.
It's clear who the better player of the two is: Chase. So why would the Bengals trade the better player, to then pay just below top dollar to a player they haven't felt worthy of a new deal in two consecutive offseasons? The exercise is interesting to think about but breaks down in reality.
Cincinnati should have them both under long-term deals as we sit here today, but the window to make that happen at much cheaper rates passed them by. Checkout Graziano's full thought exercise here.
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