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Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have emerged as one of the NFL's best teams, and their performance last season demonstrated that their run to the Super Bowl in the 2021/2022 NFL season was no fluke.
The Bengals' offense is loaded, and while the majority of the focus is on Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins is sometimes overlooked by fans. The Bengals, however, are aware of his importance, but they could lose him ahead of next season.
Higgins is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024, and if the Bengals don't extend him soon, they might trade him. PFF's Brad Spielberger has projected a trade that will see Tee Higgins being traded to the Detroit Lions.
Here's what his projected trade analysis for Tee Higgins looks like:
"The Lions send the No. 18 overall pick — the same pick the Philadelphia Eagles traded to the Tennessee Titans for A.J. Brown during last year’s draft — along with a future fourth-rounder for Higgins. Higgins can be the new big-bodied receiver in the Lions' offense, filling the void left by Hockenson and potentially free agent D.J. Chark Jr."
If the Detroit Lions do trade their 18th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals to acquire Tee Higgins, they will still have their sixth overall pick, which they obtained from the Los Angeles Rams.
The Lions are already quite good offensively, and Higgins might serve as a bonafide WR1 for Jared Goff, while their defense can be improved with the use of the sixth overall pick.
The Lions' current WR1 is Amon-Ra St. Brown, and they will have Jameson Williams back healthy next season as well. The addition of Higgins has the potential to transform them into one of the top receiving units in the NFL, and it will be intriguing to see how things pan out.
Joe Burrow set to receive a massive contract extension
The main reason the Bengals will struggle to extend Tee Higgins is that they must also pay Joe Burrow. Many feel that Joe Burrow will be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, which he fully deserves, but this will undoubtedly have an influence on the rest of the team.
Next year, Ja'Marr Chase will be available for an extension as well, and he may easily exceed whatever Justin Jefferson receives from the Vikings this offseason.
The Bengals' ownership and front office face a challenging situation, and it will be interesting to see which players from their young core will end up staying in Cincinnati.
