When it comes to the 2025 NFL offseason, arguably the biggest name on the open market has to be Tee Higgins, the super-sized wide receiver who spent the first chapter of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals after being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson.
That's right after returning to the Bengals on the franchise tag in 2024, Higgins boosted his stock with another great season and is now certainly set to field offers from darn near half of the teams in the NFL, who either want a true WR1 or a reliable WR2 to help boost their offense to new heights.
But how much can Higgins leverage that interest to strengthen his wallet, pitting teams against each other to secure the best bag the market will bear?
Well, in an expansive Senior Bowl column, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler broke the situation down based on his reporting, letting it be known that the absolute floor of Higgins' market appears to be DeVonta Smith's 2024 extension, with the potential to hit $30-plus million very much on the table.
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“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,” Fowler wrote. “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.”
While Higgins and Smith couldn't be any more different from a player profile standpoint, as the former wins with his impressive size, while the latter is nicknamed the “Slim Reaper” for a reason, the duo have had relatively similar starts to their NFL careers, with multiple 1,000-yard seasons on their resumes before they earned a second long-term contract. If Higgins secured a deal for only $25 million per season over a three-year deal, most GMs would be over the moon, but as Fowler noted, a floor means the lowest amount allowed; considering how many teams need help at wide receiver, that $30 million mark feels far more realistic.
How much is Higgins actually worth? Well, that depends on who you ask, as Over The Cap projects that Higgins is worth a deal worth roughly $21.8 million based on his play, whereas most of the sources Fowler polled said he's worth over $30 million. Where he ultimately falls, however, will be fascinating to see, as it will have major ramifications across the board, from his new team, to his new division and the AFC North as well, who will suddenly see a Bengals team that was among the best passing offenses in the NFL despite their meh record lose one of Joe Burrow's top targets in the middle of his NFL prime. Needless to say, keep an eye on this one, as what Higgins decides to do will be fascinating.
