NFL Insider: People Believe Bengals Will Trade Tee Higgins After Using Franchise Tag for Second-Straight Year

This would be a surprise...

Dec 16, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) gestures toward the official after catching a touchdown pass as Minnesota Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans (21) defends in the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-Imagn Images | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Tee Higgins on Monday. It was an expected move that allows them to continue to negotiate with his agent in hopes of agreeing to a long-term deal.

Would they consider a trade?

Some NFL personnel think the Bengals will ultimately trade Higgins according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"There are people across the league who believe that this could wind up being a tag-and-trade," Schefter said. "Now we don't know whether that will happen, but I can tell you that there are people who believe that a tag-and-trade is possible here with Tee Higgins, despite the fact that the Bengals have said their intent is to sign him to a long-term deal."

It's worth noting that Schefter is clearly talking about everyone and anyone but the Bengals. The team has no plans to trade Higgins, sources say. That has been made crystal clear over the past few weeks, as has the Bengals' plans to tag Higgins.

Regardless, don't be shocked if the Bengals get calls. Teams will come calling, but the Bengals plan on getting a long-term deal done with their 26-year-old star receiver.

The sooner, the better—at least for Higgins and the Bengals. The rest of the NFL is probably hoping talks go south and he does get traded.

Watch Schefter's comments below:

"It's not a particularly great receiver draft, so if I'm a team like the Patriots, Commanders, the Chargers, I'm calling and seeing if it's a possibility."

—@MinaKimes on the possibility of a team trading for Tee Higgins ✍️ pic.twitter.com/AzZQYSNp1k

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 3, 2025

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