After Gabe Davis left the team in free agency, the Buffalo Bills are searching for a reliable wide receiver, and they may turn to an AFC opponent to help fill the spot.
On March 12, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that wide receiver Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals had asked to be traded after negotiations for a long-term contract extension had stalled for a full year. Considering that Higgins has emerged as the best receiver available, the Bills could be able to get him, despite the fact that the cost would probably be expensive.
Tee Higgins Shared Love for Buffalo
When asked last month which quarterbacks he would like to play with in the future, Higgins expressed some affection for the Bills, as USA Today reporter Robert Zeglinski recalled. Higgins included signal callers from several other top AFC contenders, including Josh Allen, the quarterback for the Bills.
The Bills are also in the “Tee Higgins trade zone,” according to ESPN reporter Bill Barnwell, who also projected that it may require a late first-round selection to get him. Similar to this, the Bills traded wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 in return for the No. 22 overall pick.
The Bengals’ asking price for Higgins is unknown, as is their willingness to trade him for anything at all. Last month, the organization formally applied the franchise tag to Higgins and gave him a one-year tender for approximately $21.8 million for the upcoming campaign.
At the time, Higgins received praise from Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin, who made it apparent that the receiver was still part of the team’s long-term plans.
According to NFL.com, Tobin stated, “It’s really simple: He’s a good player, we want to keep him, and we have resources to do that, so we decided early to do it.” That’s where we are right now. Tee is liked by us. With Tee, we’re a stronger team. We were able to apply the franchise tag to him because of the way we handled our cap, and we did.
Zeglinski also cast doubt on the Bills’ chances of acquiring Higgins by stating that the Bengals would be reluctant to deal their best wide receiver to a different AFC Super Bowl contender.
Bills Could Save Draft Pick, Land Receiver Prospect
In contrast, a number of sources anticipate that the Bills will keep onto their first-round draft pick and use it to select one of the talented wide receivers this offseason. According to Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News, the Bills will need to start considering their options for their future No. 1 in addition to finding a replacement for Davis’ output for the upcoming campaign.
Receivers are therefore both a short- and long-term necessity for the Bills, as they must quickly develop a replacement for Stefon Diggs, according to Skurski.
Divergent opinions exist regarding the potential draft selections of the Bills. According to Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, the Bills will select Oregon receiver Troy Franklin, a 6-foot-3 target with a penchant for huge plays, with their No. 28 overall choice. The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer predicted that the Bills would target 6-foot-4 LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr., another dangerous pass-catcher.