Top Landing Spots for Tee Higgins in NFL Free Agency After Bengals Miss Playoffs
January 6, 2025Top Landing Spots for Tee Higgins in NFL Free Agency After Bengals Miss Playoffs
A slow start to the season hurt the Cincinnati Bengals' playoff hopes significantly, but they did what they needed to do down the stretch to reenter the playoff picture. Saturday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers capped a five-game winning streak. Unfortunately, Cincinnati was eliminated on Sunday with the Denver Broncos' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bengals now head into the offseason with a few big decisions ahead of them. One of the biggest will involve standout wide receiver Tee Higgins, who played on the franchise tag in 2024 and is scheduled for free agency.
Higgins, who finished the year with 911 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, will turn 26 later this month and is the top receiver available in free agency this offseason. Cincinnati may—or at least should—hope to retain its No. 2 receiver. However, it will have competition.
Let's examine the top landing spots for Higgins in 2025 free agency based on factors like team needs, scheme fit, supporting cast and projected cap space.
Cincinnati Bengals
If it's possible, Higgins' best option might be to stay in Cincinnati. He knows the offense, he knows the personnel and he has a strong rapport with quarterback Joe Burrow. It certainly doesn't hurt that Burrow has advocated for keeping Higgins and fellow receiver Ja'Marr Chase in Cincinnati's long-term plans.
"Whenever a great player leaves, you wish you could have found a way to keep him," Burrow told reporters. "You don't want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building. And I think that's why you gotta do everything you can to get those deals done early."
Cincinnati's main obstacle in retaining Higgins is that Chase is extension-eligible and will likely top the receiver market with his next contract. The Bengals are already paying Burrow $55 million per year, so affording all three might not be feasible.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer recently suggested that it could take "around $120 million" to have Higgins and Chase with Burrow in the lineup next season. Crafty contract construction might make that possible, but Cincinnati only has $59.1 million in projected 2025 cap space.
The Bengals don't have a track record of spending big to retain players outside of the quarterback position. History suggests that they'll let Higgins walk after getting one last budget season out of him via the franchise tag, which is how they handled safety Jessie Bates III two years ago.
Perhaps Burrow has enough pull within the organization to convince the Bengals to change their free-agency approach. If he does, Higgins may continue thriving in black and orange.
New England Patriots
From a competitive standpoint, the New England Patriots won't be nearly as attractive to Higgins as a return to Cincinnati. New England was one of the most talent-starved teams in 2024, and its Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills cost it the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
However, money talks, and no team has more projected 2025 cap space than the Patriots ($121.6 million).
If New England is willing to spend on players like Higgins, it could experience a quick turnaround next season. The Patriots have promising young quarterback Drake Maye, and they might bring in an experienced head coach in the coming days.
The Patriots fired Jerod Mayo on Sunday and are expected to pursue Mike Vrabel, according to Chad Graff and RJ Kraft of The Athletic.
For New England, landing Higgins in free agency would be a home run. He's served as Cincinnati's No. 2 receiver but has consistently flashed No. 1 potential. Against the Denver Broncos two weeks ago, for example, he hauled in 11 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns.
The Patriots need to put a strong supporting cast around Maye, who has the physical upside to be a future dual-threat star in the mold of Josh Allen. However, he dealt with a lackluster receiving corps as a rookie, with tight end Hunter Henry serving as his most reliable target.
It's impossible to assess how Higgins would fit from a schematic standpoint because we don't know who will be coaching the Patriots in 2025. However, their need for a receiver of Higgins' caliber,is obvious.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans could provide a strong scheme fit for Higgins. Head coach Brian Callahan spent four seasons coaching Higgins as the Bengals' offensive coordinator.
Callahan didn't enjoy a quarterback like Burrow in his first season in Tennessee. 2023 second-round pick Will Levis proved not to be the answer, while backup Mason Rudolph was only marginally better. However, the Titans are in a prime position to find their quarterback of the future.
With New England's Week 18 win and another Titans loss, Tennessee locked up the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
"It is the one bonus to a season like this," Callahan told reporters in his postgame press conference on Sunday.
Whether the Titans draft a quarterback like Colorado's Shedeur Sanders or choose to go the free-agent route—Sam Darnold would be a logical top target—they could use help at the receiver position. Calvin Ridley should lock down one starting spot, but Tyler Boyd and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine are both scheduled to be free agents.
With $65.2 million in projected 2025 cap space, the Titans could afford to make Higgins an attractive offer. He might have to adapt to the struggles of a young quarterback, but he'd have a talented receiver opposite him in Ridley.
And Higgins already knows that he can thrive in Callahan's offense.
Washington Commanders
If Higgins doesn't get his desired contract offer from Cincinnati and wants to land with an established playoff contender, the Washington Commanders could be near the top of his wish list.
Washington won only four games in 2023 but just capped a 12-win campaign and is headed to the playoffs as a wild-card team. The arrival of head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels helped the Commanders change their fortunes in a hurry.
However, 2024 may only be the start of something special in Washington. Daniels, the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year, probably hasn't reached his ceiling yet, and the Commanders are poised to chase premium talent in the offseason.
Washington is projected to have $102.5 million of cap space available this offseason.
Could Higgins be one of the premier players whom the Commanders chase? He should be. While the Commanders field a strong ground game and have a special talent in Daniels, they lack reliable receiver depth behind No. 1 target Terry McLaurin. 34-year-old tight end Zach Ertz finished second on the team with 654 receiving yards.
Higgins is a big (6'4", 219 lbs), physical wideout with enough juice to get open deep. He'd be a strong complement to McLaurin in Kliff Kingsbury's offense and would give Daniels a second perimeter target who can attack all areas of the field.
In turn, Washington could offer Higgins plenty, including a high-level contract, a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback and a winning culture.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have a situation not wholly unlike Washington's. They have a seasoned head coach in Sean Payton, and they rode the hot hand of a rookie quarterback to reach the playoffs as a wild-card team.
Denver rookie signal-caller Bo Nix may not be the dynamic dual threat that Daniels is, but he played well enough to put himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation. He's a poised and accurate pocket passer with enough mobility to extend plays and enough arm strength to threaten deep.
While Nix isn't quite at Burrow's level physically, their playing styles share some similarities.
In offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi's offense, Higgins could be used similarly to how Lombardi previously used Keenan Allen with the Los Angeles Chargers. Allen was a high-volume target, averaging 6.6 receptions per game in two years under Lombardi.
The Broncos do have talented receivers, including Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr. However, Higgins could potentially turn a good receiving corps into a great one. While Sutton topped the 1,000-yard mark in 2024, Mims ranked second with just 503 receiving yards.
With a few more offensive pieces in place to complement Nix and Denver's top-10 scoring defense, Denver could quickly become a Super Bowl contender.
Denver can offer Higgins an attractive situation, and with $60 million in projected cap space, it could offer a lucrative contract as well.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are another playoff team that could be an attractive landing spot for Higgins. Los Angeles came together quickly under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, and it could become a perennial title contender with a few more pieces.
This season, the Chargers largely won games by leaning on their top-ranked scoring defense, their running game, and some timely throws from standout quarterback Justin Herbert.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman hasn't regularly aired it out, though that could change with a receiver like Higgins in the fold. Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston are a talented young duo, but Higgins would be an upgrade over third receiver Joshua Palmer, who is scheduled to be a free agent.
Adding a receiver like Higgins probably won't be as much of a priority for L.A. as it is for some other teams featured here. However, it would be the sort of win-now move that a team with a just-opening playoff window should seriously consider.
Armed with $74.4 million in projected cap space, the Chargers could afford to chase Higgins in free agency. They could also offer him an opportunity to play with another premier quarterback from the 2020 draft class.
Herbert, whom the Chargers took five spots after Burrow, hasn't had the same postseason success as his Cincinnati counterpart. However, he's proven himself to be one of the league's better quarterbacks in the five years since he was drafted.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The last team featured here might be a bit of a long shot. Higgins may not be eager to defect to a division rival like the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Pittsburgh's quarterback outlook isn't the sunniest.
Pittsburgh is headed to the postseason but hasn't gotten particularly efficient play from Russell Wilson over the last month. He and Justin Fields are both set to be free agents, and there's a chance that the Steelers will have a new quarterback room in 2025.
However, it would be foolish to believe that the Steelers won't try to make a run at Higgins if he's available. George Pickens is a borderline No. 1 target, but receiver depth was a significant issue for Pittsburgh in 2024, and the team didn't hide from that fact.
Last offseason, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers and 49ers had "agreed upon parameters" of a trade that would have sent Brandon Aiyuk to Pittsburgh. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pittsburgh was discussing a trade for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk before Kirk suffered a season-ending collarbone fracture.
Neither of those teals materialized, but the Steelers did acquire receiver Mike Williams ahead of the in-season trade deadline.
Higgins would be a terrific fit in Arthur Smith's offense and a threatening target opposite Pickens. With $56.6 million in projected cap space, Pittsburgh should have Higgins near the top of its wish list.
While the Steelers do need to formulate a long-term quarterback plan, they have a strong roster, a well-run organization and a winning head coach in Mike Tomlin. Along with the right contract offer, that might be enough to convince Higgins to change his AFC North allegiance.
*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.