Despite being in the middle of a contract dispute with one star, the future is uncertain for another Cincinnati Bengals star.
While fans eagerly await the eventual — and potentially historic — contract extension for superstar Ja'Marr Chase, his running mate is playing on the franchise tag.
Giving both receivers massive contract extensions probably isn't in the cards so Henry McKenna of Fox Sports suggested a "blockbuster" trade that sends Tee Higgins to the Washington Commanders.
McKenna proposes the Bengals swap Higgins for the Commanders' 2025 first-round pick.
"The Commanders can get better at an accelerated clip. It'll cost them in cap space, but at least they would know — for sure — that they're getting a receiver who is a proven entity in the NFL," McKenna wrote. "As for the Bengals, if they dealt Higgins, they would have only one receiver extension to worry about: Ja'Marr Chase's. And that's gonna be a big one."
Moving Higgins would be a risk for the Bengals in the short term. Even though there's plenty of upside in third-round pick Jermaine Burton, he's not yet on the level that Higgins has developed into.
On the other hand, signing Higgins to a long-term extension is going to be difficult, especially considering Chase is going to command something similar or even larger than what CeeDee Lamb got with the Dallas Cowboys.
If the Bengals know they aren't going to re-sign Higgins, they could look to move the former second-round pick, but it wouldn't come without some incredible risk.
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