B/R suggests the Jaguars make puzzling trade for WR Tee Higgins

The Jacksonville Jaguars made upgrades to the wide receiver corps in the offseason. However, Alex Kay of Bleacher Report believes they could still use some help at the position. While the Jags could most definitely use depth, Kay believes they should go all in on an established veteran.

Kay recently included Tee Higgins in a list of players who could benefit from a fresh start and mentioned Jacksonville as a potential landing spot. He cites Higgins' familiarity with Trevor Lawrence as the reason and proposes the Jags trade a 2025 second-round pick for him.

"Several teams should be interested in Higgins, but there's no better situation for him than reuniting with fellow Clemson alum Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.

The two formed a dynamic chemistry for the Tigers, and the Jaguars desperately need Lawrence to continue progressing toward his ceiling in 2024. That became harder to do when Calvin Ridley opted to sign with the Tennessee Titans.

Higgins would instantly make it easier to feel optimistic about the Jags this season."

A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Higgins has established himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL, hauling in 247 receptions for 3,684 yards with 24 touchdowns over the last four years. The former Clemson Tiger has been looking for a long-term deal since last year but Cincy isn't interested in engaging in contract talks. Instead, they applied the franchise tag on him early in the offseason, effectively preventing him from hitting the open market.

Not long after getting the tag, Higgins requested a trade. However, he changed his tune more recently, indicating that he anticipates playing for the Bengals in 2024. This doesn't mean he's happy about his contract status but rather that he's aware of his lack of options.

The Bengals, for their part, will soon have to pay Ja'Marr Chase and they may not be willing to allocate a significant amount of cap space to the wide receiver position. That's why they let Tyler Boyd walk in free agency and seemingly feel comfortable with Higgins playing under the tag in 2024.

While that approach makes sense from a financial standpoint, it has certainly affected their relationship with Higgins to the point in which he would benefit from a change of scenery. Having said that, the Jaguars aren't probably the team where he could get it.

Trading for Tee Higgins is unnecessary after drafting Brian Thomas Jr.

Earlier in the offseason, trading for Tee Higgins would've made sense. In fact, the Jacksonville Jaguars would've been a great landing spot. Not only were they in need of a WR1 but his familiarity with Trevor Lawrence would've also been huge for the offense. However, the Cincinnati Bengals weren't actively shopping him, so the Jags looked somewhere else for help.

First, the front office signed Gabe Davis in free agency and later drafted Brian Thomas Jr. 23 overall. The former will be an upgrade over Zay Jones and the latter will fill the void left by Calvin Ridley when he bolted for the Tennessee Titans. Add the presence of Christian Kirk, who's healthy after sitting out the last four games in 2023, and the Jaguars aren't in need of a starting wide receiver.

Sure, the Jags could use some depth at receiver, but they will probably want to see any of their young players step up. But for the sake of argument, let's entertain the idea of trading for Tee Higgins. Who do you take off the starting lineup? Would you pay him, Kirk, and Davis starting money? On top of that, it's hard to see Jacksonville parting ways with a second-rounder next year to land Higgins.

However you look at it, it doesn't make sense for the Jaguars to trade for Tee Higgins now. Make no mistake, he's an outstanding receiver who could help several teams but there's no room for him in Jacksonville after adding Thomas and Davis to the mix.

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