With the news that Bengals star receiver Tee Higgins has not reported for the team's mandatory minicamp as he holds out for a new contract -- Higgins is slated to play this season on a $21.8 million franchise tag -- the Lions could be tempted to trade for him, says Doug Karsch: "There’s a chance that you could go get said player, right? The Lions lost Josh Reynolds and basically just bumped everybody up a spot on the totem pole at WR. It doesn’t feel like they’ve got the ready-made replacement."
Higgins had 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022, but was limited by injuries last season to 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games. That was almost identical to Reynolds' production in 17 games: 40 catches for 608 yards and five touchdowns. They were both top-15 wide receivers in yards per catch.
Karsch says that if the Lions could acquire Higgins for a mid-round draft pick -- "as much as I love the draft and think teams should horde picks, when I see a veteran get moved, I’m always like, that’s all they had to give up?" -- it would be hard to say no to all-in move in an all-in season.
"They’re trying to win the Super Bowl this year. And Tee Higgins helps you right now. Adding him to this team, if your No. 1 is Amon-Ra St. Brown in the slot and you’ve got Tee Higgins and Jameson Williams lined up outside, that is a defensive coordinator's nightmare. You’ve got a quarterback that is really good at delivering the football on time and on target to the right person. You’ve got an offensive line that can protect and might even be better than a year ago. You’ve got two running backs, one veteran who’s really good and the other who's just scraping the surface. You’ve got an elite tight end. This starts to look like the modern-day offense that wins Super Bowls.
"It’s a different way of doing it than Kansas City, which is built around an elite quarterback. But you’re really talking about what feels like an unstoppable offense. And with an improved defense, if the Lions get Tee Higgins, are they the favorite in the NFC? This is a really, really tempting thing to try to do."
With about $38 million in cap space, the Lions would have the flexibility to pay Higgins, at least this season. But with Higgins reportedly seeking a three-year, $70 million deal, they might not be able to accommodate him down the line. And Higgins might not have any interest in ending his holdout with a new team.
Gator says that Higgins isn't worth being paid like a top-10 receiver in the NFL: "I think you can find plenty of wide receivers on a one-year deal that won’t cost you a draft pick to trade for that can do a more-than-adequate job. There are free agents out there every season ...
"The Lions have all this money to spend, and they still do. They’ve had it all along, and they’re sticking with their plan. They’re not going to give one person too much, they’re going to reward their own players. It seems like they’re in a great position to add more players, and higher-end players. Tee Higgins is not the guy that I would want to do that with."