Grade the trade idea: Jaguars take part in 3-way deal to land Tee Higgins

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't lacking firepower, having added Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis in the offseason. They'll join a group that includes Christian Kirk and Devin Duvernay. Add the presence of tight end Evan Engram, and Trevor Lawrence's arsenal appears to be in good shape ahead of the 2024 NFL season. However, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that Tee Higgins could be the cherry on top.

There's only a caveat. Higgins just signed his franchise tender and is expected to suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. To clear that hurdle, Knox suggests the Jaguars acquire him via a three-way trade.

Knox put together a list of trades that could change the landscape of the NFL and proposed the Jags join forces with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Higgins. In the deal, Jacksonville would get Tee Higgins and a 2025 second-round pick. However, they would have to give up edge rusher Travon Walker and cornerback Ronald Darby,

The Bengals would then acquire Tyler Lockett and a fourth-round pick from the Seahawks. Here's a list of the things each club would get:

• Bengals: Tyler Lockett, 4th-round pick
• Jaguars: Tee Higgins, 2nd-round pick
• Seahawks: Travon Walker, Ronald Darby

Knox acknowledges that the Jaguars acquired Davis and Thomas but believes Higgins would round out their wide receiver corps.

"After losing Calvin Ridley in free agency, Jacksonville used a first-round pick on Brian Thomas Jr. The rookie should help support Lawrence, but Jacksonville could further aid the quarterback by reuniting him with former Clemson receiver and Cincinnati Bengals standout Tee Higgins."

On the other hand, Knox believes Walker hasn't lived up to expectations but would be a great addition to the Seahawks' pass rush.

"In this hypothetical trade, Seattle could make a move for 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker. While Walker hasn't quite lived up to his draft status in Jacksonville, he did have 10.0 sacks in 2023—more than any single Seahawks defender."

Higgins, a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, was Lawrence's favorite target in college. That's why a potential reunion would make sense. In Cincy, the Tennessee native has hauled in 257 receptions for 3,684 yards with 24 touchdowns over the last four seasons. He's been brought up as a potential trade target because he's been looking for a long-term deal since last year but the Bengals haven't entertained contract talks.

Giving up Travon Walker for Tee Higgins doesn't make sense for the Jaguars

Trading for Tee Higgins seemed like a somewhat realistic possibility in the offseason, especially after the Jacksonville Jaguars let Calvin Ridley walk in free agency. However, it's now unlikely. Leaving aside the fact that they would need to give up either a player or an early-round pick, they would also have to give the fifth-year receiver a new deal. After giving extensions to Trevor Lawernce and Josh Allen, it simply doesn't look like a realistic course of action.

But for the sake of argument, let's say the Jags do entertain the idea of adding Higgins to their wide receiver corps and are willing to give him a new deal. Why would they trade Travon Walker? He's made strides and is poised to be even better in 2024. Granted, he had a quiet rookie season but that was in 2022. The team's brass isn't going to trade him because of his performance two years ago.

Simply put, Walker is one of the Jags' young building blocks and it wouldn't make sense to trade him right now. It's also worth noting that he's the only other proven pass rusher besides Josh Allen. If they moved on from him, their ability to get after the quarterback would be severely compromised.

The bottom line is that it would be puzzling to see the Jacksonville Jaguars trade for Tee Higgins at this point of the year. Moving on from Travon Walker would be equally shocking.

Grade: F

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