A Giants-Bengals trade that could make New York think twice about Daniel Jones

What are we going to do with you, New York Giants? The IBM of the NFL has quietly become one of the most frustrating teams in the league over the last several decades. Yes, they have the two Super Bowl championships, but those 2007 and 2011 teams were not exactly juggernauts. They got hot at the right time and took advantage. Credit to them. But also debit them for the Daniel Jones debacle.

The move evolved version of Blake Bortles is still leading the G-Men on one of the worst contracts in the NFL. He is entering year four of his four-year, $160 million deal. All that to be a top-24 quarterback in the league. Good grief... Jones may be on the good side of 30, but it feels like more people want him out of New York than even James Dolan these days. Against a hard salary, they will have to eat it.

However, there is one trade the Giants could do to completely flip the script. They could deal for Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins, who was just slapped with the franchise tag for a $21.816 million for 2024. He wants out. If the Giants landed him, New York gets a No. 1-caliber receiver and more help for Jones in Brian Daboll's offense. They also will not draft a quarterback.

Here is what a trade between the Bengals and Giants centered around Higgins could look like.

It is a little hard to make the money work, but this gets us within $300K of being pretty much even.

Is this a move both parties should make? Let's discuss the ramifications of such a trade for both.

Tee Higgins to New York Giants could save Daniel Jones' NFL career

For all intents and purposes, Higgins has been devalued as a No. 2 wide receiver by playing for the Bengals, simply because Ja'Marr Chase is every bit a No. 1. This is the same wide receiver who made Justin Jefferson a No. 2 catching passes from Joe Burrow on the unforgettable 2019 LSU Tigers. Higgins has always had No. 1 potential dating back to his brilliant run playing for the Clemson Tigers.

Given that Daboll is a great play-caller and savvy offensive mind, getting more weapons around Jones could help New York get the most out of their bad investment. The funny money they paid him cost the team Saquon Barkley and potentially so much more. Higgins would replace Darius Slayton as New York's No. 1 wide receiver. Although good chemistry is hard to find, it beats being so terrible.

New York would not only do this trade out of desperation but also as a means to load up on another wide receiver at No. 6 in the 2024 NFL Draft. Since they won't have to give it up, they can take a wide receiver of their choosing. Someone like Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. or LSU's Malik Nabers if they fall, or potentially Washington's Rome Udonze as a reach of sorts. They could also move back...

For Cincinnati, moving on from Higgins gives them the green light to re-sign veteran free agent Tyler Boyd and elevate him to the No. 2 role behind only Chase. They are also receiving Slayton, who would be a dynamite No. 3 for them, as well as a pick in each of the next three drafts. A second-rounder this year, a first in 2025 and a sixth in 2026 to make the math work. Pray on the Giants' pure desperation.

Overall, the Bengals would be more inclined to take this trade because of the compensation they will be picking up. The receiving corps may take a slight downtick, but the recouped capital for Higgins would be worth it. For New York, how badly do Daboll and Joe Schoen want to still have jobs? More importantly, do the Giants want to avoid having Jones' debacle of a deal turn into Russell Wilson's?

We're only talking about roughly $22 million in assets apiece changing hands in this particular trade.