Tee Higgins Says He Will Never Play With Cincinnati Bengals Again till Coach Zac Taylor Will leave
Tee Higgins Says He Will Never Play With Cincinnati Bengals Again till Coach Zac Taylor Will live
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Schefter: Bills ‘Can’t Afford’ Tee Higgins After Diggs Trade; Eyeing WRs in NFL Draft
It’s no secret that the Buffalo Bills are in the market for wide receivers, especially after trading No. 1 wideout Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.
However, that help should be coming via the draft and not a trade for someone like the Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins, who is someone that the Bills “can’t afford” to get right now, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on NFL Live (8:35 mark).
“The Buffalo Bills were already doing a lot of work on the wide receivers in this draft class,” Schefter said.
“And if you look at it, with the money they take on by trading Diggs right now, essentially, they can’t afford to go trade for a wide receiver like Tee Higgins and sign him to a long-term extension. So if they’re going to find help, it has to come through the draft.”
Schefter added that the Bills have “positioned themselves” to take “one, maybe two” wide receivers in this year’s class. Buffalo notably has 10 draft choices, with the top two at No. 28 overall and No. 60.
Higgins has requested a trade after the Bengals placed a franchise tag on the four-year veteran, who has amassed 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns during his NFL stint. He’s due for a big payday. Of note, Brad Spielberger predicted on Pro Football Focus in May 2023 that Higgins would land a four-year, $97 million deal ($32.25 million guaranteed).
The good news for the Bills is that there’s no shortage of wideout talent available in the draft. The latest B/R NFL Scouting Department board lists 17 wide receivers among the top 78 prospects in this year’s class.
The top three (Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze) are assuredly out of the Bills’ range and should go top 10.
But it’s certainly possible the Bills use one of their top-two picks (if not both) on a talented wideout who should be called upon to contribute immediately and help replenish the lost production from both Diggs and Gabriel Davis, who left in free agency for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rib and hamstring injuries limited Higgins to just 12 games in 2023, but he still managed 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns.
He’s ultimately going to get a big payday somewhere, but that won’t be with the Bills, who carry a $31.096 million dead cap charge in 2024 post-Diggs trade.
Bengals and NFL analyst Joe Good berry provided his take on the possibility.
