Any NFL team would love to land Cincinnati Bengals free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins this offseason.
That includes the Denver Broncos, who according to the oddsmakers, have the best chance of signing Higgins. But there’s a caveat.
One sportsbook released their Higgins “next team” odds on Wednesday, however, this is if he doesn’t go back to the Bengals. This post is going viral on social media, but fails to mention that rather important detail.
Cincinnati put the franchise tag on Higgins this past offseason, and could do it again. It would cost them a cool $26.17 million, but would keep Higgins in Cincy with QB Joe Burrow and stud WR Ja’Marr Chase for at least one more season. Burrow has recently made it clear (again) the Bengals needs to step up and keep their young offensive core together.
But if Higgins hits the open market, he’d certainly be an enticing option for the Broncos. The only reason he’s not currently a No. 1 receiver is because Chase plays opposite of him. In Denver, he’d clearly be the top option for QB Bo Nix with Courtland Sutton slotting in as a great No. 2.
Higgins torched the Broncos in Cincinnati in December, going off for 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored the game-winner in overtime to end a classic.
Higgins was only able to play in 12 games in 2024, but still caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. If you project those numbers out over a full season, it’s 102 catches for 1,290 yards and 14 scores. Those are monster stats that Broncos head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton would love to pair with Nix.
The problem is that Denver has about $50 million in salary cap space, and Higgins could command around $30 million a year in a four-year deal. There’s always ways to get creative, but that would be a huge dent in the Broncos’ budget.
This will be one to watch with free agency opening next month. And if Tee Higgins hits the open market, the oddsmakers like Denver’s chances.
