With less than a week to go before NFL free agency officially opens, the Cincinnati Bengals are busy, at least under the surface. They’ve reportedly given edge rusher Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, but they’ve shut down any trade conversations coming their way on another star player.
The Bengals have received multiple inquiries about the possible availability of wide receiver Tee Higgins, who was tagged by the team for the second year in a row on Monday, according to Dianna Russini.
“They’ve been told the receiver remains unavailable as the Bengals continue to pursue a long-term deal,” she continued.
The Bengals, under normal circumstances, would be bending over backwards to sign Higgins. However, despite Higgins being a true No. 1 wide receiver, he plays on the same team as the best wide receiver in the world, Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals need to extend Chase before he plays out his fifth-year option this season to avoid having to tag him before 2026.
The Bengals are likely to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, and while they have the cap space to keep Higgins on the same field with Chase and Joe Burrow at least for a couple more seasons, it’s not clear as to whether or not they will. Allowing Hendrickson to seek a trade, which is a very un-Bengals thing to do, likely means they’re hoping to keep two of the big three.
With so many needs, both on the offensive line and throughout the defense, the Bengals could use stability from their skill positions on offense. Re-signing Higgins could keep Burrow and the offense firing on all cylinders heading into the 2025 season. If the two sides can’t come to an agreement, though, they may be more amenable to the idea of a trade.
Stay tuned as this story develops.