The Washington Commanders need more help at wide receiver. Terry McLaurin is great. McLaurin proved to anyone who doubted him in 2024 that he is indeed a legitimate top-10, or possibly higher, NFL wide receiver.
But he needs help. Quarterback Jayden Daniels needs help. Picking at No. 29 in the 2025 NFL draft, that immediate help may not come via the college ranks.
That leads us to Cincinnati Bengals star Tee Higgins. For the second consecutive year, Higgins is a free agent. However, unlike last year, it seems doubtful the Bengals will place the franchise tag on Higgins, making him an unrestricted free agent in March.
At the Senior Bowl this week, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin acknowledged it will be difficult for Cincinnati to retain Higgins.
“It’s going to be hard,” Tobin said via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We feel like we have the resources to do it, but it all depends on how the negotiation goes and whether they’re willing to accept wanting to come back at a number that makes sense for everybody. And you know what we do with Tee going forward, I’ve always been very upfront in my desire to have Tee Higgins on our team. I’ve never not been upfront about that, and that desire continues, but we have to be able to come together with his representation on what that means and what the right number is for his experience, for his play time, for his production.”
To say Higgins will have a bullish market is a massive understatement. The 6-foot-4 Higgins is young (26), experienced (70 career games) and productive (330 receptions, 4,595 receiving yards and 34 touchdowns).
Several teams need help at receiver. The Panthers, Patriots, Chargers, Steelers and Titans are among the teams that could use Higgins. He could sign with any of these teams and become the No. 1 receiver. In Washington, Higgins would be the 1b to McLaurin’s 1a. But it would cost the Commanders.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Higgins’ contract could hit $30 million yearly or more, depending on how many teams bid for his services.
The over/under on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins’ market is $30 million per season, and the majority of team personnel that I spoke with believe he’ll hit or clear the over. The lowest estimate I heard was somewhere slightly above DeVonta Smith’s three-year, $75 million deal. The rest saw him breaking into the $30 million range, based on his status as a No. 1-caliber receiver and the number of teams desperate for pass-catching help.
The good news is that the Commanders are one of only a few teams that could easily afford Higgins. Washington has around $90 million in salary cap room. But McLaurin has only one year remaining on his contract and will likely receive an extension this offseason. It’s doubtful that Commanders’ general manager, Adam Peters, will want to pay two receivers that much money with so many other needs to address.
So, why wouldn’t Cincinnati just pay Higgins? The Bengals need to pay Ja’Marr Chase, the NFL’s best wide receiver. This comes after they paid quarterback Joe Burrow.
As for the Commanders, more good news is that with Daniels on a rookie contract for the next few seasons, Peters can take this type of risk. It will be fascinating to see how Peters chooses to add to the receiver position this offseason.