The Buffalo Bills receiving corps has taken a major hit this offseason. The Bills lost The Bengals are unlikely to land a first-round pick for Higgins, but perhaps a pair of picks in the first few rounds would get the job done. to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, and then they traded top target Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.
Buffalo’s group of receivers now consists of Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, Justin Shorter and Andy Isabella — not the most inspiriing group of names, especially for a team with annual Super Bowl aspirations.
The Bills boast one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL in Josh Allen, but it looks like Allen could enter the 2024 season without the established talent at the wide receiver spots he’s become accustomed to.
Sure, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were able to win the past two Super Bowl without a ton of star-power at wide receiver, but that’s not necessarily a model of success that will translate to other teams across the league’s landscape.
So, the question must be asked: What can the Bills do to give their receiving room a boost prior to the start of the season? Well, the Bengals have a star wide receiver seeking a trade, perhaps the two sides can come to an agreement.
Could Tee Higgins land in Buffalo?
There aren’t too many star-level receivers available at this point in the offseason, so if the Bengals want to add a top target for Allen for the ’24 campaign, trying to trade for Higgins could potentially be their best bet.
Higgins requested a trade away from the Bengals at the onset of free agency, but the Bengals have been hesitant to make a move involving the star wide receiver. However, if the right offer comes their way, perhaps they would reconsider their stance.
Higgins is five years younger than Diggs, and he’ll also be looking for a fresh contract next offseason. So, if the Bills traded for him with the intention of extending, they could lock him up for the bulk of his prime years. Doing so would ensure that Allen has an elite receiver to work with for the foreseeable future.
But, there are some sizable roadblocks to a deal getting done between Cincinnati and Buffalo.
The Buffalo Bills surprised the NFL by trading star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. Diggs has been a top target for quarterback Josh Allen in Buffalo’s offense for the past four seasons, but now he will continue his career in Houston, catching passes from second-year stud C.J. Stroud.
In exchange for Diggs, the Bills received draft pick compensation in the form of a 2025 second-round pick (via the Minnesota Vikings). The Bills will also send a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Houston in the deal.
The addition of Diggs should be a big boon to the Texans’ offense, as they now boast a wide receiver trio of Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Plus. they have former Bengal Joe Mixon at running back and Dalton Schultz at tight end. That’s a pretty potent offense, on paper at least.
Meanwhile, the Bills have been bleeding all offseason, and Diggs is just the latest loss that fans in Buffalo have had to endure. In addition to Diggs, the Bills have also moved on from wide receiver Gabe Davis and a plethora of key defensive pieces like safety Jordan Pryor and linebacker Leonard Floyd. They now have several lingering questions regarding their roster.
What Diggs trade means for Tee Higgins market value
The Diggs trade is an interesting one for NFL fans to digest, but it could be especially noteworthy for fans in Cincinnati given how it could impact Tee Higgins’ market value. Higgins requested a trade away from the Bengals at the onset of free agency, but the Bengals have been hesitant to make a move involving the star wide receiver.
Now, with the Diggs deal done, we might have an idea of what kind of compensation that the Bengals could be looking for in a potential deal.
Career-wise, Diggs is a [much] more accomplished receiver than Higgins. Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler who led the league in both receptions and receiving yards in 2020. However, Diggs is also five years older than Higgins, and has five more years of wear-and-tear on his body than Higgins does.
Plus, the stats are probably slightly skewed in favor of Diggs, as he’d had the opportunity to operate primarily as a No. 1 receiver, while Higgins has been the second option behind Ja’Marr Chase for the past three seasons. If Higgins had been the top option elsewhere, his numbers would probably be more gaudy at this point in time.
So, if the Bengals got a second-round pick in exchange for a 30-year old Diggs, Cincinnati would likely want at least that same value in return for a 25-year old Higgins, if not more. The Bengals are unlikely to land a first-round pick for Higgins, but perhaps a pair of picks in the first few rounds would get the job done.
Publicly, the Bengals have been adamant about wanting to have Higgins on the roster next season. But, perhaps seeing the value that the Bills got back for Diggs will prompt them to switch their stance.
