Tee Higgins (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is arguably the biggest name to follow on the trade market with 2024 OTA offseason workouts just around the corner.

Before the 2024 NFL Draft, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Tee Higgins and defensive end Trey Hendrickson both requested trades from the Bengals. Higgins was assigned the franchise tag earlier this offseason, while Hendrickson has two years remaining on his contract.

The 2024 NFL Draft may be in the books, but it’s not too late for rival NFL GMs to put forward a can’t-refuse offer for Higgins. Plus, Cincinnati may prefer to trade the big-bodied receiver for a good return rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency next year.

Higgins has put up excellent numbers despite being the No. 2 receiver in Cincy behind Ja’Marr Chase, so it’s easy to envision him as a WR1 elsewhere. While Higgins would fit on a lot of teams, the NFC runner-up Detroit Lions stand out as a logical landing spot for him.

Detroit Lions’ Offense Would Be Dangerous With Tee Higgins

Jared Goff isn’t at all short on weapons. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs can all put up over 1,000 yards of offense. But what if the No. 5 scoring unit of 2023 had one more playmaker like Higgins?

Think of the 2013 Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning led Denver to 13 wins and the AFC’s top seed in 2012 with Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker has his only Pro Bowl-caliber weapons. After Wes Wes Welker and Julius Thomas burst onto the scene in 2013, the Broncos posted a record-setting offense (606 points for, a record that stands today).

By giving Goff a third prolific pass-catcher, there’d be almost no way of stopping this already-explosive Detroit offense. Tee Higgins and St. Brown would immediately emerge as a top-five receiving tandem, with LaPorta drawing more favorable matchups.

What The Lions Should Offer For Tee Higgins

Detroit doesn’t have a third-round pick in 2025, so they’d likely have to part with at least a second-round pick to land Tee Higgins.

But if they can get him to agree on a contract extension beforehand, GM Brad Holmes should be more than happy to deal his 2025 second-round selection. With that additional pick, the Bengals can plan to find Higgins’ replacement in a receiver-heavy 2025 draft…or even in free agency.