3 Tee Higgins replacements when Bengals see star WR walk in free agency

The Cincinnati Bengals all want to keep this core together. Everybody except ownership.

Joe Burrow appeared at Super Bowl media row last week to vouch for re-signing Cincy's key upcoming free agents, which include Tee Higgins. There's no chance the front office actually heeds his advice, though. Higgins is expected to rack up close to $30 million annually on his next deal. The Bengals, saddled with Burrow's historic contract and several expensive pieces elsewhere, are in penny-pinching mode.

That said, we should all prepare for Higgins to find a new home in free agency. That leaves the Bengals with a gaping hole in the offense opposite Ja'Marr Chase. Burrow can pretty much make any receiver look good, but Cincinnati's defense has been a mess for too long. Duke Tobin and company can't fall asleep at the wheel and let the Bengals' only advantage — that of raw firepower — subside.

This offseason should set plenty of affordable alternatives in Cincy's path. It's up to the Bengals to be aggressive and capitalize on the opportunities set before them. This front office can't be wasting these precious prime years from Burrow, who threw for 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns in a nine-win campaign. He might just be the best quarterback in the NFL right now, but until the roster around him matches that talent, Burrow will continue to come up short in a competitive AFC landscape.

Here are a few wideouts worthy of attention from the Bengals' top decision-makers.

3. Darnell Mooney is coming off a bounce-back season in Atlanta

Darnell Mooney's career hit a snag in Chicago before he inked a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons last summer. What felt like a nice marginal addition proved essential to the Falcons' failed postseason pursuit. Mooney emerged as arguably Kirk Cousins' favorite target, giving the Atlanta offense an impactful dash of live-wire speed opposite the more physical Drake London.

There's a strong case for the Falcons to bring Mooney back, but the Bengals should get into the mix. He won't make near Higgins' money, and he could provide a similar change of pace lined up next to Ja'Marr Chase. Mooney found a lot of success bolting across the middle of the field and generating yards after the catch in Atlanta (275 of his 992 yards last season came after the catch).

Cousins was pretty much a stiff board in the pocket, with nonexistent mobility and waning arm strength. Burrow is not such a quarterback. He can throw the prettiest ball in the NFL, and he'd be able to tap into Mooney's big-play ability more than any quarterback the 27-year-old has ever shared the field with. Considering the amount of attention Chase demands, Mooney would be free for plenty of explosive catches. This is a great fit for team and player.

2. Davante Adams can extend his prime by linking up with Joe Burrow

The New York Jets and Davante Adams appear set to go their separate ways. At 32 years old, Adams is probably done signing big-money contracts in marquee destinations. He wants to win a Super Bowl, plain and simple. All other goals should be secondary.

There is speculation that Adams prefers to sign on the west coast, so Cincinnati is at an immediate disadvantage in negotiations. Still, the idea of partnering with Burrow might be enough to offset Adams' scenic preferences. The Bengals can pitch Adams on the chance to line up opposite Ja'Marr Chase while catching passes from a 28-year-old MVP candidate on the upswing of his career.

Adams has spent the majority of his career reeling in dimes from Aaron Rodgers, a future Hall of Fame quarterback with a canon attached to his right shoulder. Burrow won't match Rodgers' creativity and sheer mental acuity for the game of football, but he's wicked smart in his own right and one hell of an arm talent. The Bengals' passing attack consistently ranks near the top of the league. The veteran wideout managed 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns last season, despite playing just 14 games on mediocre teams. He isn't over the hill yet. Put Adams in an elite offense and the catches will pile up quickly.

1. Deebo Samuel makes half of Tee Higgins' projected contract and he's on the trade block

San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel has received permission to seek a trade. He's due $15.8 million next season, which is plenty reasonable for an established WR2 in one of the NFL's most productive offenses. Last season was a step back for the entire San Francisco roster, but Samuel was putting up numbers in the Super Bowl a couple years ago. He's one of the most versatile and accomplished pass-catchers available right now.

Of course the Bengals should place a call. Samuel is not the hulking, big-play threat that Higgins is, but his versatility is an entirely new weapon for the Bengals to tap into. Samuel put up 136 yards as a runner in 2024. He lines up all over the formation and is plenty comfortable taking handoffs in the backfield or charting his course through the defense after a screen pass. The Bengals can let Samuel do his Swiss Army Knife thing while Chase operates as the big-play threat downfield. It's a synergistic pairing.

It's fair to wonder if Samuel is on the decline after such a subpar performance in his age-29 season, but that entire 49ers offense was stuck in a strange limbo without Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey. Put Samuel in a more balanced and dynamic setting, with Burrow functioning as the ultimate upgrade over Brock Purdy, and the numbers should perk up considerably.