The offseason is here for the Cleveland Browns, and the wide receiver room should be one of the team’s top objectives.
Amari Cooper’s contract expires in 2024, while Elijah Moore is the best of the others currently on the roster. On Saturday, January 13, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox identified a number of high-profile free agents the Browns are likely to pursue if they can work out their salary-cap problem. Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals is the first name on the list.
“The Browns could also use a reliable perimeter receiver opposite Amari Cooper, though they probably won’t have the capital to chase one of the top names on the market,” Knox wrote in his article. “If that changes, though, wideouts like Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., and Calvin Ridley should be near the top of Cleveland’s wish list.”
Higgins, the Bengals’ No. 2 receiver behind Ja’Marr Chase, completed the fourth and final year of his $8.7 million rookie deal in 2023. Spotrac estimates his market value to be $74.4 million ($18.6 million per year) over a new four-year contract.
That’s a lot of money for a player who hasn’t been the top option on his own team for the last three years. Higgins, on the other hand, has been quite productive since entering the league as an early second-round pick (No. 33 overall) in 2020.
Higgins gained more than 1,000 yards in 2021 and 2022 after a rookie season in which he gained 908 receiving yards, according to Pro Football Reference. With only 42 catches for 656 yards this season, the wideout had his least productive season yet.
Higgins, on the other hand, was severely limited by injuries that kept him out for five full games. As a result, he concluded the year with only 76 targets after averaging 109 in his first three seasons. Higgins grabbed five touchdowns in 2023 and has 24 total touchdowns in 58 games.
Obtaining Higgins in free agency from the Cincinnati Bengals would undoubtedly benefit the Browns’ offence while also reducing the Bengals’ potent offensive attack. Furthermore, Higgins would undoubtedly assist Deshaun Watson in becoming the quarterback Cleveland thought it was signing when it handed the QB $230 million in fully guaranteed money ahead of the 2022 season.
On Sunday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed that Watson will be the team’s starter heading into the offseason rather than Joe Flacco, who guided the team to a 4-1 record and a postseason berth in Super Wild Card Weekend.
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