Sam Wallace, Mark Drumheller, and Jonathan Fuller deep dive into Tee Higgins' pending free agency and speculate where he could land.

Throughout the playoffs, Sam Wallace, Mark Drumheller, and Jonathan Fuller will be highlighting the biggest NFL free agents heading into the 2025 offseason. We'll be breaking down the best and worst landing spots as well as projecting where key players will eventually sign.

Today's subject? 2024 Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins.

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Best Landing Spots For Tee Higgins in 2025 NFL Free Agency

Jonathan Fuller: This might be the easiest one to answer so far in this entire series. Keep Higgins in Cincinnati. It might not be what gets him paid the most, but it is the best scenario for fantasy managers. The Joe Burrow, Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase trio is arguably the best in the league and has been a gold mine for fantasy football. It is tempting to want to see him as the No. 1 option in another offense, but that opens him up to a much wider range of outcomes. 

Through five seasons in Cincinnati, Higgins' 17-game averages are: 80 receptions for 1,116 yards and 8 TDs. While not elite, he has been one of the best WR2 options in the NFL and Fantasy Football. His presence has also helped Burrow and Chase remain among the best fantasy options at their positions over the last few seasons. Tee's departure would create uncertainty for their outlooks as well. 

It's time for Cincinnati to open up the metaphorical checkbook and figure out what number will keep Higgins in town while still leaving room to pay Ja'Marr Chase. History suggests that may be wishful thinking, but I genuinely believe letting Higgins walk would be a huge missed opportunity.

My honorable mention is the Los Angeles Chargers because I would love to see Justin Herbert have two legitimately good WRs at his disposal once again. 

Mark Drumheller: The Washington Commanders are the perfect match for Higgins. Washington has the third-most cap space in the NFL and gives Higgins the best of both worlds. 

Cincinnati has proof of concept. Bengals QB Joe Burrow is coming off an unbelievable season where he threw for 43 touchdowns and close to 5,000 yards. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? 

The LA Chargers can give him a winning culture, a talented young quarterback, plus the opportunity to be WR1. Every pass catcher wants the ball, and the Chargers are desperate to pair Herbert with a dependable playmaker. 

The Commanders check all those boxes as well but with a little less pressure. Washington has the resources to pay Higgins as much or more than Los Angeles and Cincinnati. 

Higgins also gets the opportunity to join a playoff team led by one of the league’s best young signal-callers. Commanders’ QB Jayden Daniels’ ceiling has skyrocketed after an incredibly impressive rookie campaign, where he carried the Commanders to the NFC Championship game. 

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, he will be paired up alongside Terry McLaurin. Higgins will have the opportunity to grow into a WR1, but there won’t be immediate pressure for him to carry the Commanders passing attack. 

The way I see it, Washington is a win-win from every angle. 

The Commanders should be in win-now mode whith Daniels on his rookie deal. TE Zach Ertz (654 yards on 91 targets) was the team’s second-leading receiver behind McLaurin. I strongly believe Higgins would maintain a relatively high-floor while filling a massive void for one of the league’s most dynamic young quarterbacks. 

Sam Wallace: If you've followed any of my work over the last several years, you know I'm about as big of a Tee Higgins fan as they come. A "my guy" coming out of college, he's been arguably the best WR2 to play behind an alpha like Ja'Marr Chase.

A year ago, it looked like Higgins might test free agency, but he wound up signing a one-year, $21.8M contract to stay with the Bengals.

Now, we get to play the free agency game again this offseason.

Still just 26 years old, Higgins has played in just 12 games in each of the last two seasons. Even so, he should have no shortage of suitors, as he's demonstrated high-end target-earning ability throughout portions of his career. So, where could he end up?

My biased take is the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Love needs a true No. 1 option, and with the loss of Christian Watson (knee) for the offseason and potentially beyond, the team doesn't have a true threat who can consistently win down the field.

The Raiders, as mentioned each week, have the cap space to make a sizable offer and lack an elite wideout. The Patriots also have both money and no strong talent at the position, and I'm sure Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye could make excellent use of Higgins.

Another option, potentially the most intriguing, is the Chargers. They have the sixth-most available cap space. As well as Ladd McConkey played this season, he profiles more as a WR2. Higgins would give Justin Herbert an elite option who could help get the team over the playoff hump moving forward.

However, don't rule out the Bengals. They are top 10 in available cap space, and all reports indicate that all involved parties would love to see Higgins remain in Cincinnati. This might be a result of me wearing my Higgins-colored glasses, but almost all of these potential landing spots should keep Higgins a strong fantasy option moving forward.

Worst Landing Spots For Tee Higgins in 2025 NFL Free Agency

Jonathan Fuller: They say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the theme of this series has been that we don't want anything to happen in Vegas. The Raiders remain the least attractive free agent destination for skill position players until they sort out the QB position. Until we know who is throwing passes in silver and black, we have no choice but to hope all of our favorite free agents stay away. 

As usual, I don't want to leave you with just that answer, so I'll also shout out the Tennessee Titans because of the connection with former Bengals OC Brian Callahan. Tennessee has the top pick in the draft and is expected to draft a QB, so it wouldn't be that surprising if they wanted to give their rookie as many weapons as possible. That could work out if they hit on the right guy, but I'm not all that excited about this year's QB class, so I would prefer to see Higgins catching passes from someone who has proven it on an NFL field. There is upside in Tennessee, but the floor is about as low as it gets if things don't work out.

Mark Drumheller: I am going to go with the New England Patriots. I believe Drake Maye has a bright future ahead of him, but it’s not going to happen fast enough to allow Higgins to flourish there. 

The Patriots' roster has plenty of holes. The biggest, and most critical to a successful passing attack, is the offensive line. I’m sure new head coach Mike Vrabel will address it this offseason, but it’s going to take some time for the pieces to build the necessary continuity. 

I’m also not 100% sold that “getting the band back together without the most important piece (Bill Belichick)” is going to work out for New England. From a fantasy perspective, Josh McDaniels’ offenses are typically better landing spots for running backs than receivers. It feels like a bad fit for a receiver looking to grow out from under the shadows of Ja'Marr Chase. For that reason, I think New England is a bad fit. 

Sam Wallace: Here's my weekly dig at the Raiders. While they now have a new head coach in Pete Carroll, they still don't have a QB. I did hear rumblings that Russell Wilson could move back west to reunite with Carroll and serve as the proverbial bridge QB while the team figures out its future.

Even if that were to happen, it would be the absolute best-case scenario for Higgins. We'll see how strong the Tom Brady/Carroll pull is for a QB like Wilson (or Sam Darnold) and what that means for the rest of the team's offseason moves.

Even so, if Higgins was looking to join the Patrick Mahomes division AFC West, I would rather see him land with the aforementioned Chargers.

Where Will Tee Higgins Play in 2025?

Jonathan Fuller: I can't shake the feeling that Tee Higgins will be a New England Patriot in 2025 and beyond. They have the most cap space in the league and have an awful track record of drafting at the WR position, so it makes sense for them to spend up for a premium free agent to pair with Drake Maye for at least the next five years. At just 26 years old, Higgins offers the rare opportunity to sign a stud WR who is just entering his prime.

It wouldn't be a bad landing spot for fantasy, as I'm excited about what Maye can develop into. And the upside is probably higher being the top option elsewhere than staying as the No. 2 in Cincinnati—so I would be totally fine with this move. That being said, the floor is also much lower when you go from the team that averaged the most passing yards per game to the team that averaged the fewest. Tee should help with that, of course, but there is only so much a WR can do if his QB is constantly under pressure the way that Maye was in 2024—especially when you are an intermediate and deep threat who needs time for his routes to develop. 

There is also the fact that New England's new HC would clearly like to establish the run. While I don't want to overreact to comments during radio interviews, it's fair to assume the Patriots are unlikely to ever be as pass-happy as the Bengals. Of course, Higgins would see a larger share of a smaller pie, so from a projection standpoint it might be close to neutral, but it isn't the clear upgrade you would hope for when becoming the No. 1 option.

Mark Drumheller: Tee Higgins is going to be catching passes from Herbert next season. As an Eagles’ fan, I’m hoping I’m right. Let’s keep Higgins as far away from Jayden Daniels as possible. 

Despite feeling like Washington is the best fit, I expect L.A. to be the more aggressive suitor. If they want to keep pace in a very competitive AFC West, they have to get Justin Herbert some help on the outside. 

The good news: There are enough desirable landing spots with deep enough pockets to keep Higgins from ending up on a team that plummets his fantasy value. Whether it’s the Chargers or not, I will be excited to see Higgins’ growth outside of the Cincinnati offense. 

Sam Wallace: This … is going to be a fun one. I don't think anyone legitimately has a sense of where Higgins will end up. If it ends up being truly about the money (and I'll never fault a player for securing the bag when he can), it'll be either the Raiders or Patriots. However, something (maybe false hope) tells me the Bengals will find a way to keep him in the building.

Regardless, for fantasy purposes I would not be overly concerned about his landing spot. He'll still command his fair share of targets and has the skill set to elevate an offense and take over a game when he needs to.