Trevor Lawrence makes his pitch to top projected free agent Tee Higgins |
Brandon Rink
· · Monday, February 17 2025
Tee Higgins has put together the kind of production that has any NFL team wanting to land his services this offseason.
Down in Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence has as good an idea as anybody about what the standout receiver can do. Lawrence was asked about a potential reunion with Higgins and his pitch. "Tee’s great," Lawrence said on the Up & Adams show recently. "Who knows what’s going to happen. Tee’s awesome. We have a history, for sure. That guy, no matter where he goes, obviously I’d love to be throwing to him again, but no matter where he goes he’s going to be a star – he already is. I know Cincinnati wants to keep him, Joe’s (Burrow) been putting the pressure on them over there on the front office. We'll see what happens. "What’s my best pitch? Obviously I’m sure, he’s got the relationship with Joe, if everything goes well I’m sure he wouldn’t want to leave, but if that wasn’t the case, I think I definitely would be up next as far as Tee and our relationship and what we’ve done in the past. We played together for two years had a lot of success in college and we could definitely do that again in Jacksonville. And Jacksonville I think is a pitch in itself as far as a place to live...No state income tax. A lot of good things." Odds set last week on Higgins' possible next destination had the Jaguars among the longshots at 40/1 (SportsBetting.ag), with the Denver Broncos (3/1), Washington Commanders (4/1) and Pittsburgh Steelers in the mix (5/1). USA TODAY predicts a trip out West to the LA Chargers. "The popular pick for Higgins is the New England Patriots, who are armed with a Mary Poppins' bag of endless cap space. While teaming up with Drake Maye would be enticing, Higgins could head west to pair with Justin Herbert, who is in desperate need of some pass-catchers. Injuries are a concern, but someone will pay up for the best free agent on the market who is just 26 years old," said USA TODAY's Nick Brinkerhoff. "Higgins returning to Cincinnati feels like a long shot given the team's history of penny-pinching. Jim Harbaugh invested in the offensive line last offseason in addition redefining the team in his vision of having a solid running game and defense. Ladd McConkey wasn't enough when it mattered most. Higgins fits as a great running mate to elevate the offense in L.A. moving forward." NFL.com's Adam Rank does advise Higgins to stick around Cincinnati if that's a possibility. "As the best free-agent wide receiver in recent memory, Tee's poised to break the bank on the open market. You figure teams like the Broncos, Commanders and many more are looking to throw the bag at this 6-foot-4, 220-pound playmaker. But Higgins' situation in Cincinnati is just so perfect. Playing with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase has served him quite well to this point, so why not keep a good thing going? Injuries cost him five games this past season, and yet he still scored a career-high 10 touchdowns, so the individual production is there. And when you consider the Bengals are the only AFC team to have knocked the Chiefs out of the playoffs in recent years, Cincinnati offers the wideout plenty of team upside, too. If I'm in Tee's shoes, I re-up with the Bengals -- as long as they make a competitive offer. And I'm inclined to believe they will," said Rank. PFT's Mike Florio doesn't see another franchise tag coming for Higgins, which would mean the Bengals would have to re-sign him next month. The 33rd Team offered up a possible tag-and-trade deal with the Commanders: Commanders Receive: Tee Higgins, WR Bengals Receive: Pick No. 61 from Commanders The Bengals would be foolish to let Tee Higgins hit free agency this offseason. Higgins would be the best receiver to hit free agency in the last decade, and as many as a dozen teams would be willing to offer him $30 million a year. The smart move for the Bengals would be to lock in Higgins for the next three to four seasons and keep a strength strong. However, the Bengals don’t operate like most front offices, and the thought of paying Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Orlando Brown top-end contracts might be too much for them to handle on offense. If the Bengals do come to that conclusion, they do have options without letting Higgins leave without receiving some sort of compensation. The Bengals could franchise tag Higgins for a second time, which would guarantee him $26.17 million. That is still well below what he would make on the open market, but it would allow the Bengals to keep his rights. However, the Bengals could then look for trades, and several teams would be willing to give up assets for the right to acquire Higgins. One of those teams is the Washington Commanders, who have tons of cap space and are ready to compete for a Super Bowl right now... What's Trevor Lawrence recruiting pitch to former Clemson teammate Tee Higgins??? 😏
"We played together for two years, had A LOT of success in college. We could DEFINITELY do that again." @heykayadams @teehiggins5 @Trevorlawrencee @Jaguars | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/unDtQYebGc
Upgrade Your Experience!
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now!
