Bengals WR's trade request comes two weeks after Zac Taylor's notable comments

Following the organization's decision two weeks ago, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that he was "glad that (Higgins will) continue to be a big part of our offense and our team."

Now, that apparent foregone conclusion is very much up in the air.

Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic did note that trade requests from star players are nothing new for Cincinnati, and things have occasionally worked themselves out.

Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team said last month that "several team executives" felt that if the Bengals were to trade Higgins this offseason, they could receive either a first- or early second-round draft pick in return.

The star pass-catcher said in early February that the Tennessee Titans could've been his "ideal" landing spot should he leave Cincinnati this winter. Higgins grew up in Oak Ridge, Tenn., less than 200 miles from Nashville, where the Titans play.

Brian Callahan, who was hired as Tennessee's head coach in January, had been the Bengals offensive coordinator for Higgins' entire career.

Higgins is slated to earn $21.8M guaranteed in 2024.

He was limited to 12 games last season and ended the year second on the team in touchdown catches (five), third in targets (76) and receiving yards (656) and fourth in receptions (42).