The Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South and made the playoffs last year. However, they’ll need to reload their roster and keep restocking their roster if they want to keep up with teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills next season. One player that could add a boost to their offense is Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who might be available via trade.
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports Cincy could place Higgins on the trade block if they can’t sign him to a long-term deal. A second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Higgins is an important piece of the Bengals’ offensive puzzle, having caught 215 passes for 3,028 yards with 19 touchdowns over the last three seasons.
All things considered, Higgins would be a great addition to the Jaguars’ locker room. He was teammates with running back Travis Etienne back and Trevor Lawrence back at Clemson, so he could quickly get acclimated in Jacksonville. On the other hand, there are several reasons it doesn’t make sense for the Jaguars to trade for Higgins. Here are three.
3 The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t have the cap to sign Tee Higgins
When it comes to an NFL roster, there’s no such thing as having too many good players but putting together Dream Team together is not simply realistic due to salary cap rules. You could have four or five blue-chip players in any given year. However, clubs will often have to make tough choices when assembling their rosters and move on from players they would otherwise like to keep. This is why you will see so much turnover from one offseason to another.
The Jaguars are currently over $20 million in the red and will most likely need to release a few players to get under the cap. They will then need to re-sign their own free agents before they consider bringing in someone else.
Once the Jaguars get their cap in order and re-sign whatever players they want back, they won’t have much space to trade for Tee Higgins. Sure, they could give him a big signing bonus and spread it over several years but that will limit their ability to make moves in the future. On top of that, the Jaguars would probably need to part ways with draft picks to land Higgins. Simply, that’s not a sustainable way to build a roster.
Building through the draft isn’t particularly an exciting process but that’s how the best teams get to the top and remain there. Look at the Kansas Chiefs, they will make a big move every now and then but they acquired the majority of their players throughout the draft. That’s what the Jags need to do moving forward.
2. There might not be room for Tee Higgins with the Jacksonville Jaguars
One of the Jaguars’ biggest priorities last offseason was bolstering their wide receiver corps. Wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. was productive in 2021, hauling in 73 receptions for 832 yards with four touchdowns. However, opposing teams usually doubled him because Jacksonville didn’t have any other weapons.
That’s why general manager Trent Baalke spared no expenses and gave top-market contracts to Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in free agency. Furthermore, he signed tight end Evan Engram to a one-year deal. At the time, Baalke earned plenty of criticism because he did upgrade the wide receiver group but he paid a premium for it.
In the end, it was money well spent, as Kirk, Jones, and Engram went on to have career years for the Jags. However, the Jags weren’t done making additions and acquired Calvin Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons before last year’s trade deadline. The Alabama product is currently serving a suspension for betting on football games but there’s a good chance he will be reinstated.
The year before Ridley got suspended, he was playing at an elite level, hauling in 90 receptions for 1,374 yards with nine touchdowns. John Shipley of Sports Illustrated reported that the Pro Bowl-caliber receiver is currently in great shape, so he should give the Jaguars’ offense a boost whenever he’s back.
Engram is set to hit the open market once again but even if he changes teams, Trevor Lawrence will have a wide array of weapons, so adding Higgins to an already stacked receiving room seems unnecessary.
1. The Jacksonville Jaguars have bigger needs than receivers in 2023
The Jaguars have reloaded their roster over the last two seasons. While they need to address a few holes on the roster in the offseason, wide receiver isn’t one of them. They might add one in the draft to bolster their depth at the position but it won’t likely be at the top of their priority list.
As of this writing, cornerback might be Jacskonville’s biggest need ahead of free agency and the draft. They have a pretty good cornerback tandem in Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams but the depth behind them is suspect and the team’s brass also needs to find a nickel cornerback.
If the Jags don’t bring back Evan Engram, tight end will also become a priority. But even if they manage to re-sign Engram, they’ll need to revamp their tight end room, as Chris Manhertz and Dan Arnold are also slated to hit the open market.
The Jaguars’ offensive line might also be in need of depth. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor could leave in free agency and even though they have an adequate replacement in Walker Little, they’ll need to add another offensive tackle to the mix.
Then, there’s the front seven. The Jaguars could use another defensive end or an outside linebacker. Defensive ends Arden Key and Adam Gotsis are slated to hit the open. Also, Roy Robertson-Harris could be a cap casualty if the front office can’t restructure his contract, so Jacksonville might be looking to replace three players.
When you consider how many boxes the Jaguars need to check off this offseason, it’s hard to envision them trading for Tee Higgins.