NFL teams that are looking to upgrade their wide receiver corps in free agency weren't probably enthused to find out that the Cincinnati Bengals plan to use the franchise tag on Tee Higgins, effectively preventing him from hitting the open target. The Jacksonville Jaguars, in particular, would've surely loved to reunite the Clemson Tiger with Trevor Lawrence. But now that he's staying in Cincy, they may consider keeping a couple of players they're expected to either release or trade this offseason.
With free agency around the corner, James Rapien of Sports Illustrated reported that the Bengals intend to apply the tag on Higgins once the window to do so opens on February 18th. That would effectively leave him out of the open market, and clubs that wanted to acquire him would need to trade for him.
This is the second year in a row that Higgins gets the tag. But unlike the last time, Cincinnati plans to use it as a placeholder to work on a long-term deal. A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, he's been an integral piece of the Bengal offense, hauling in 330 receptions for 4,595 yards with 34 touchdowns.
Surprisingly, Higgins hasn't started a full season since his rookie season, but injuries don't appear to be a concern. In fact, he was No. 1 in Pro Football Focus' list of the top 100 players slated to hit free agency in 2025. But that he's off the market, the Jags will have to look somewhere else to upgrade their wide receiver corps.
The Tee Higgins news may incentivize the Jaguars to keep Chistian Kirk or Evan Engram
There are no reports that the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to make a run for Tee Higgins in free agency, but they were a logical fit because he caught passes from Trevor Lawrence in college. If they were indeed considering the possibility of signing him, though, they may have second thoughts about releasing or trading Christian Kirk.
Ever since Kirk signed with the Jags in 2022, he became a staple of the offense. However, he's suffered season-ending injuries in back-to-back years. Before the 2024 trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers were in talks to trade for him, but a deal didn't get done because he broke his collarbone.
There's now a new regime in place, and it's uncertain if Jacksonville wants to keep Kirk, who's entering a contract year. Releasing him would leave $14 million in dead money but free up $10 million in space. For that reason, he's been seen as a potential trade or cut candidate. But now that Higgins is staying in Cincinnati, the Jaguars' options in free agency will decrease.
The Jaguars could go after Chris Godwin, who played for Liam Coen last year and mostly lines up in the slot. However, he dislocated his ankle in 2024, so the Jags may want to hold onto Kirk rather than release him and sign another player who's coming off a more serious injury. Something similar could happen with veteran tight end Evan Engram.
Like Kirk, Engram suffered an injury last year, is entering a contract year, and is seen as a potential cap casualty. But if the Jaguars don't plan to make a splash signing in free agency, they could opt to take on his cap hit for 2024 instead of releasing him to create $6.1 million in space. In fact, a restructuring would make sense.
The bottom line is that the Jacksonville Jaguars have a new head coach and will soon hire a new general manager. But to speed up a potential rebuild, they might want to keep a couple of proven contributors rather than add someone else in free agency.