Why the Chicago Bears trading for Tee Higgins would be complicated
The Cincinnati Bengals applied the franchise tag to Tee Higgins. While that means that the Chicago Bears cannot sign him in free agency this offseason, the door is still open for a trade. The Bengals have actually been pretty open to the idea of a trade, and considering the Bears have plenty of cap space, they could be the team calling. The only issue is the trade compensation.
Why the Chicago Bears trading for Tee Higgins would be complicated
As the Chicago Bears currently stand, they pick first overall and ninth overall. Then, they do not pick until the 75th, the middle of the third round. While the Cincinnati Bengals have not shown their exact price tag for Higgins, most recent trades surrounding talented wide receivers who are due a new contract will be traded for a late first or an early second-round pick. This is simply something the Bears do not have.
The ninth pick is far too much for Tee Higgins. If Rome Odunze, he is a better deal on his rookie contract than trading for Higgins to pay him. The pick would have to be later. However, the Bengals do not want to pick 75 for Higgins and know that they could get significantly more. So much more that the Bears would have to give up the rest of their draft or move future picks to make it happen.
The issue with the future picks comes down to their quarterback situation. Drafting Caleb Williams opens the door to a wide range of possibilities. They could take a year to gel and struggle, or he could be like C.J. Stoud, and Chicago could be in the playoffs next year. So, trading the pick could be anywhere from the top ten to the bottom ten and in between.
Overall, this makes trading future picks off the table altogether. A future first could be just right if Williams excels immediately, but if Chicago struggles, it is way too much. A future second could be just right if Williams struggles out of the gates, but if he plays well and that pick is closer to 60 than 30, Cincinnati does not want it.
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The Bears would have to trade down from pick nine and use the assets acquired to add Higgins via trade this offseason. Otherwise, more players would have to get involved. This seems like too much for the Chicago Bears to work out a trade for Tee Higgins.