Report: Bengals are trying to sign Tee Higgins long term

[Essex Johnson]

(02-26-2024, 07:40 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: I am not sure that is true. If he has a big year this year his value will go up. Plus, it is a good/deep WR class this year, which depressed value for FA's. Next year, who knows? But a weaker class would help his value  

Further, I have to say the point is not to maximize Tee's value. The point is to put the best team on the field we can and win the SB. Having a late 1st/2nd is no guarantee of finding a guy of Tee's quality, especially Year 1. And if ee butn #18 on a WR, what do we do with RT? There are no young RT studs in FA. 

Having cap space is no guarantee of landing an elite guy. Those are few, teams with spacexare many. What ysually happens is teams end up overpaying guys because they could not land the elite guy, and then are stuck with those bad contracts. 

Additionally, we already have a lot of space. We are #9 in space AFTER tagging Higgins. Tee is the #1 FA WR on the board. 

Tagging Tee for a year (or two) gives us an elite WR tandem & allows our younger WRs to develop. Iosivas, Jones, and whomever we draft/get to fill in for Boyd this year. If one blows up, then you make the trade. Not before. 

I would argue that short term maybe yes to SB this year but with Burrow and Chase going to be in the fold for a while and with other glaring holes to fill I am looking long term also.. and if a trade did happen, I think we would receive probably a #2 and #4 for Tee which is more value and with the amount of WRs coming out of college we have a good chance of replacing him with a one.
Just as you don't like the "if" of finding a replacement in draft, I don;t like the "if" he has a bad year or gets hurt this season we lose value for sure. Plus if we tag him next year, teams know he is a lame duck and we get less .