Tee Higgins rumored feelings toward Bengals could make trade best option

I don't know if it's a Cold War or what between Adam Schefter and Dan Orlovsky, but tensions were high on NFL Live Wednesday. The big topic of discussion centered around Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins being the only franchise-tagged player left in the NFL this offseason. Everybody else has either been signed to a long-term extension or was traded to a team that would get him one.

All except for Higgins. Well, that is because the Bengals have always had a different way of doing business. They hate making trades, which only further complicates Orlovsky's quest to get the man paid. While Schefter knows he will get paid too, he made it a point to essentially suplex Orlvosky's spicy take on the studio set. Higgins knows he is getting paid, and the Bengals are shorting him here.

Basically, the Bengals are just going to let Higgins play out this season on the franchise tag. If he plays hard and well throughout the year, they may reward him. If he decides to make a business decision and not play through injuries that pile up throughout the season, Cincinnati is just going to replace him in free agency or in the draft. With Tyler Boyd leaving, the Bengals need him this season.

Here is Schefter losing his mind at Orlovsky who still thinks the Bengals are going to pay Higgins now.

The biggest takeaway in this made-for-TV moment is that Schefter, and eventually Orlovsky, knows that somebody is going to pay Higgins a premium in free agency, especially if he makes a business decision. Cincinnati has actually done quite well in recent years when it comes to building up a roster. The Bengals do a great job of drafting players and making smart decisions in NFL free agency as well.

It is not a matter of if, but a matter of who, when it comes to what team will end up paying Higgins.

Cincinnati Bengals know exactly what they are doing with Tee Higgins

I have to give Schefter mad props on this one. Well done, sir! I think he was sick and tired of us all getting this entire situation wrong. While he is in the same room with all of us in wanting to get Higgins paid, Schefter seems to realize that the Bengals were never going to be the team to do it. They don't care. They have games to win in 2024. Cincinnati already gave Higgins a one-year raise using the tag.

For a franchise that is just starting to shed its horrible label of being eye-gougingly cheap, this may not help the Bengals' reputation in that regard. Then again, Higgins wants No. 1 wide receiver money when he is only ever going to be the Bengals' No. 2 option behind Ja'Marr Chase. For as long as Joe Burrow trusts him as one of his best friends on the planet, that is always going to be the case here.

So because the Bengals do not feel inclined to give Higgins a cent more than what he is already getting this year, now may be the time for Cincinnati to sell high on their wide receiver. I am certain that they are not going to, because, well, they need him. However, not paying Higgins what he wants could go a long way in him walking in free agency next spring after five years of service with the team.

Higgins must have patience because eventually, somebody is going to pay a premium for his talent.