Getty Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins.
The Cincinnati Bengals are dealing with two wide receiver contract disputes with Tee Higgins on an expiring deal and Ja’Marr Chase looking to get compensated after three-straight seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards to start his career. Chase was a top-five draft pick and is the more likely to get paid out of the two, which could lead to Higgins being a free agent next offseason.
The Las Vegas Raiders don’t have a major need at wide receiver but if the team moves on from Davante Adams, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes that Higgins could be a target for them in 2025.
“If you take Davante Adams out of the equation, this receiver group starts to look really questionable,” Ballentine wrote in an August 26 column. “Time will tell if Adams is willing to grind through the growing pains the Raiders offense is about to go through.
“If not, he could be traded during the season or released after the season and the Raiders would be in the market for a new No. 1 receiver. Tee Higgins will be looking for that opportunity and wanting to get paid like one.”
Higgins has been in Chase’s shadow the last three seasons but has still managed to break 1,000 yards in two of those years. He hasn’t had the chance to be a No. 1 wide receiver since his rookie year so it remains to be seen how he’d do in that role.
Tee Higgins or Davante Adams?
While Adams is still playing at a high level, the Raiders do have a big decision to make on him either during or after the season. His cap hit jumps to $44.1 million next season, which is far too big of a number to commit to a wide receiver. The Raiders and Adams could always renegotiate the contract but he’ll also be 32.
Las Vegas could prefer to get younger at wide receiver and target a player like Higgins, who will be 26 next season. Adams could still have a few productive seasons left but the Raiders have the second-youngest roster in the NFL, according to Bookies.com. The team could prefer to build around younger players while Adams may prefer to go to a more veteran team that’s closer to contending. If that’s the case, Higgins makes a lot of sense for the Raiders.
New York Jets Still Eyeing Davante Adams?
If the season gets off to a rocky start, the Raiders may be keen on trading Adams while he still has value. The New York Jets have been linked to Adams ever since they traded for his former teammate Aaron Rodgers last offseason.
While the Jets have been flirting with the wide receiver, the Raiders haven’t shown interest in trading him yet. According to SNY’s Connor Hughes, New York is ready to pull the trigger on a trade as soon as Las Vegas is willing to listen.
“The minute that the Raiders are willing to trade him, I believe he’ll be a Jet,” Hughes said on the August 22 episode of the “Jets Afterburners Podcast.”
It remains to be seen what it will take for the Raiders shop Adams but there’s no reason to hold onto him if the team isn’t competitive in 2024.
