The Y have discussed acquiring wide receiver Tee Higgins, a foe in the AFC North, from the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan. Is that a scenario for a draft draft-day trade? Would the Steelers receive his trade from the Bengals? Do the Steelers actually want to sign him?
Is Higgins a potential trade candidate on draft day?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have discussed acquiring wide receiver Tee Higgins, a foe in the AFC North, from the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan. Is that a scenario for a draft draft-day trade? Would the Steelers receive his trade from the Bengals? Do the Steelers actually want to sign him?
Is Higgins a potential trade candidate on draft day?The Steelers may have been able to obtain a higher selection pick even if Johnson decided he no longer wanted to play for them. However, the value will be significantly less if there is a deep draft class at the position where the player being dealt away plays. Stefon Diggs, the Buffalo Bills’ top wide receiver, was dealt away for a meagre return. This season, Keenan Allen, the starting receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers, only received a fourth-round selection. Even though Higgins is younger than Allen, Diggs, and Johnson, the Bengals could only obtain a day three draft pick in 2024 in return for him from these trades.
Would the Steelers receive his trade from the Bengals?
There is really little reason for the Bengals to consider the concept unless the Steelers were prepared to provide a significantly higher compensation package in exchange. Winning a division is the most direct route for a team to the NFL playoffs. The Bengals’ chances of accomplishing so are diminished while the Steelers’ chances are increased by trading Higgins to them. On the surface, the plan seems ideal for the Steelers, receiver George Pickens, Justin Fields, and quarterback Russell Wilson. But there is a very slim chance that the two teams will exchange anything to make such a deal happen:
1. By adding another offensive weapon, it would give the Steelers an advantage in the division race.
2. The Steelers are a very intelligent team, and aggression and insanity are two very different things. It would be absurd to agree to the Bengals’ outrageous trade demands in exchange for having to offer Higgins a top-ten contract. The wiser course of action, if they are interested in Higgins, would be to just wait until 2025, when he becomes a free agency. Currently, the cost of acquiring him is exorbitant.
Unless the Bengals franchise tag Higgins again for a higher price, they obviously cannot prevent him from signing with the Steelers in 2025 during his free agency. If they want to trade him at all, that is. In the event that they are, it will likely mean that they are not part of the AFC North or the AFC at all.
Do the Steelers actually want to sign him?
Given that Higgins was given the non-exclusive franchise tag by the Bengals, that very well may be the case. He can therefore negotiate an offer sheet with any other NFL team of his choosing; but, the discussion will begin with two first-round picks if the Bengals choose not to match the offer sheet. What about L’Jarius Sneed’s trade from the Chiefs to the Tennessee Titans, though? Sure, the Chiefs took a lot less money than what was mentioned in the trade, but Sneed wasn’t moving to a division opponent.
Had the Bengals not tagged Higgins but instead signed him to a deal, there might have been an internal debate about signing Higgins. After he received the tag, it’s unlikely that they had a lengthy talk.In 2024, how would the Steelers draft a wide receiver if they made a trade?
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