Tee Higgins ‘Could Be Traded’: How Cowboys Deal for Bengals WR Helps Dak Prescott
So Jerry Jones is jealous of the loaded-up Eagles. Meanwhile, there is now a Bengals leak about the price tag on Tee Higgins.
Hmmm …
The 2022 Dallas Cowboys receiving room was essentially "CeeDee Lamb or bust'' during the regular season and in the playoffs, a fact that highlights a need for another star receiver at The Star.
Names such as Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins have been floated as candidates, but here is another, and maybe it seems like it's a little out of left field, but hear us out ...
Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.
So, could Dallas realistically acquire Higgins from the Bengals? We can see it, and here is why he could be on the move.
Quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja'Marr Chase are in line for serious Cincy paydays soon. Burrow is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the consensus is that the Bengals front office will try and get his future sorted this offseason.
Given the going rate for quarterbacks, one can imagine Burrow fetching north of $50 million a season, which would take up a big chunk of the Bengals' salary cap. And Chase? He's up a year later than his quarterback, but eventually, Chase is sure to be paid like a top receiver in the league - as much as $30 million per season will be the ballpark.
So, where does that leave Higgins? He is entering the last year of his rookie deal with the Bengals and could be the one who makes way. So, can Dallas swoop in?
First let's note that Dallas has essentially admitted to the need, given the very public courting of Beckham Jr., not to mention the rumors of Hopkins as a potential option to ease the pressure on Lamb to perform.
Additionally, though, we have to note this: The Cowboys have their own money problems with Lamb and Trevon Diggs now eligible for extensions. So it would take a level of aggressiveness to make all of this happen - and to skip over Hopkins (age 30) and Beckham Jr. (age 30) to Higgins (at age 24, a contemporary of Lamb and Diggs.)
In his three seasons, Higgins' has played 14, 16 and 16 games, so he's durable. Add to that, his on-field production has been good. He has totaled over 100 receptions in every season and twice has gone past 1,000 receiving yards; the one time he didn't, he had 908 (rookie season).
On top of that, Higgins has caught no less than six touchdowns in each season (Michael Gallup and Dalton Schultz have done that just once).
The Cowboys have the need, but money is tight. The Super Bowl Bengals are surely motivated to keep the gang together, but ... yeah, money is tight. With Burrow and Chase set to break the market, Dallas ought to check in this offseason and see if the Bengals want to break from Tee Higgins.
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