According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, no team has called the Bengals to make a trade offer for Higgins in the wake of Cincinnati placing the franchise tag on him last month.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that Higgins has requested a trade, noting that the star wideout is “disappointed” the Bengals have not had any negotiations with him regarding a long-term contract since March 2023.
Florio speculated that the lack of calls on Higgins may have had more to do with teams not thinking he was available than it did teams not having interest in him.
Given his age and production, it is a virtual guarantee that Higgins would be in line to land the biggest contract among wide receivers in free agency had the Bengals allowed him to hit the open market.
The Bengals have no obligation to trade him, though, and if they don’t, Higgins’ only recourse will be to decline to sign the franchise tender and sit out.
After the Bengals used the No. 1 overall pick on quarterback Joe Burrow in the 2020 NFL draft, they got him a major weapon with the first pick of the second round by taking Higgins.
Higgins, 25, has more than lived up to his draft status, registering 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns over his first four NFL seasons.
As a rookie, Higgins fell just short of the 1,000-yard mark, recording 67 catches for 908 yards and six touchdowns. He followed that up with the two best seasons of his career in 2021 and 2022, finishing with 74 grabs for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns, and 74 receptions for 1,029 yards and seven scores, respectively
