The Buffalo Bills are in a terrible place after trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, and they desperately need a new No. 1 wide receiver.
To address that “massive void,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Key suggested that the Bills trade for Tee Higgins from the Cincinnati Bengals. In late February, the Bengals assigned Higgins the franchise tag and signed him to a one-year contract worth $21.816 million. “There’s still a realistic chance that he’ll suit up for another team in 2024,” Kay wrote on April 8.
In exchange for Higgins, the Bills offer Cincinnati a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 163).
The Bengals are facing financial challenges after signing quarterback Joe Burrow to a record-breaking 5-year, $275 million contract last summer. Additionally, Ja’Marr Chase is due for an extension.”The Bills may be light on premium 2024 picks—they have only two selections (Nos. 28 and 60) during the first two days of the draft— but they could use the 2025 second-rounder that they acquired in the Diggs trade to land Higgins,” Kay noted in a statement. “The Bengals may also be able to negotiate for one of Buffalo’s seven picks between Nos. 128 and 204 as a throw-in to offer the team another potential this season.
While the immediate financial cost is unpleasant, moving Diggs freed up $27.3 million in cap space until 2025. Buffalo currently has around $3.44 million in cap space, with a chunk of it needed for the NFL draft. The Bills will gain an additional $10 million with Tre’Davious White’s June 1 release.
The Bills Need to ‘Get Creative With Cuts’ To Make Financial Room for Tee Higgins
While the immediate financial cost is significant, Diggs’ departure freed approximately $27.3 million in cap space until 2025. Buffalo currently has around $3.44 million in cap space and will need a portion of it for the NFL draft. The Bills will get an additional $10 million with Tre’Davious White’s scheduled release on June 1.
Kay stated that “Buffalo’s brass could get creative with cuts, restructures, and Higgins’ extension to work around” the team’s restricted cap space. Given that there is “breathing room against the 2025 cap by parting ways with Diggs, a long-term extension for Higgins could be doable.”
Last month, NFL insider Jordan Schultz stated that Cincinnati has yet to make Higgins a fair, long-term offer, prompting the receiver to desire a trade.
Kay added, “While Higgins may not have the Pro Bowl pedigree of Diggs, he’s just entering his prime and looks like the ideal replacement for the veteran given the alternatives left on the open market.”
