Why Bengals could still trade WR Tee Higgins

The Bengals officially placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins on Monday, putting him under contract with the team for the 2024 season. However, here is why Cincinnati could still trade him this offseason.

Front office staff from all 32 NFL teams are heading to Indianapolis this week for the Scouting Combine. There's no better time or place to discuss potential trades with other teams than the Combine.

Plus, a franchise tag does not guarantee a player returns to play for that team by any means. Many players have been tagged and traded in the past.

In 2020, the Jaguars tagged pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue but quickly dealt him to the Vikings for a second and conditional fifth-round pick.

That's not to say that's how this situation is going to play out as Higgins has played an important role in the Bengals offense, posting 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, the option is there if Cincinnati wants to entertain it.

On Monday, head coach Zac Taylor commented on the news of the Bengals officially franchise-tagging Higgins.

"Tee has done an outstanding job for us since we drafted him in 2020. I'm glad that he'll continue to be a big part of our offense and our team," Taylor said in a statement.

Some may believe Taylor's comments solidify that Higgins isn't going anywhere. While others might think it could be a bluff to see just how much Cincinnati could get in return for the 25-year-old. Higgins means a lot to the team, but there's a price for almost every player.

According to The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov, several team executives still believe the Bengals could get a first-round pick or an early second-round pick if they were to consider trading Higgins.

Franchise tagging a player always comes with risk as well. More and more players in recent years have publicly displayed their frustrations with playing on the tag.

Although Higgins has yet to do so as the tag is worth $21.816 million, playing on a one-year deal is always risky for players. If Higgins were to suffer a serious injury in 2024, he would miss out on a lot of money when his time comes for an extension.

If Higgins does not want to play on the tag, the Bengals now have control of where he would go and are guaranteed whatever compensation they feel he is worth. It certainly sets up what should be a very interesting week in Indianapolis.