If you read that and you had to double-take, I wouldn’t blame you. After all, the Cincinnati Bengals certainly aren’t friendly with any of the teams within the AFC North. Even though Baltimore has stepped it up over recent years due to the regular season success of Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, the Bengals’ biggest rival within the division has to be the Pittsburgh Steelers after a series of colossal playoff meltdowns over the past twenty years. There is certainly no love lost between these two quality franchises.
Even after outstanding feud between the two organizations, the city of Pittsburgh actually has entertained the notion of trading for Cincinnati elite wide receiver Tee Higgins. Cincinnati is in dire straits with Higgins after they announced that they would be slapping him with the franchise tag this offseason. While it locks the Clemson product in at a 21.8 million dollar salary, it also does nothing to provide him with a long-term contract.
Following the announcement, Higgins requested a trade from the organization and has been vocal on social media regarding his unease with the situation. The obvious choice would be to send him to either the New England Patriots or the New York Giants so that Higgins gets his wish of being a number one wide receiver but also keeps him out of Cincinnati’s crosshairs.
Now let’s take a look at the situation in Pittsburgh after the team brought in legendary quarterback Russell Wilson to right the ship on the offensive side of the ball. On top of that, the team traded away headcase Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers and therefore fail to possess a world-class wide receiver to pair with quality option George Pickens. If you look at the situation on paper, it looks like Higgins would be a perfect fit to play in the Steel City next season.
Sports Ezoic Okay, now that we’ve discussed the logic behind the decision, let’s get back to reality. Never in a million years would Cincinnati consider trading Higgins to a bitter rival. Following the existing bad blood between the groups, it would be a complete public relations disaster. The rivalry may have entered a dormant era following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement in 2022, but Cincinnati providing an up-and-coming organization with the final push to become a legitimate contender would be a shot in the foot unlike anything in franchise history.
