Jason LaCanfora: Pats really want Higgins "He's going to New England"

[ViperGTS]

Like I've said multiple times: Pats are not getting Higgins

Yep, wasn't going to happen. They aren't getting any major FA or big time WR this season. They will get a lot of middle tier glue type guys which is what is needed anyways. So that money can go to Sweat or whatnot.

 

[bakes781]

Was just about to post this so now we can move on

 

[KCSVEN]

Looks like Higgins will be tagged but doesn’t mean he can’t be tagged and traded.
With the price of receivers signing 2 of them to #1 receiver money while having a terrible defense would be a pretty bad move by Bengals. Chase is going to cost a ton.
I thought Burrow was a great QB, he needs Chase AND Higgins to succeed?
Tag and trade makes most sense but we will see.

 

[manxman2601]

Looks like Higgins will be tagged but doesn’t mean he can’t be tagged and traded.
With the price of receivers signing 2 of them to #1 receiver money while having a terrible defense would be a pretty bad move by Bengals. Chase is going to cost a ton.
I thought Burrow was a great QB, he needs Chase AND Higgins to succeed?
Tag and trade makes most sense but we will see.

I don't wat to give them a high pick plus 20-30m per year to Higgins. If we were one player away then maybe but we're still some way away. Use that money on other FAs like Sweat and Milton Williams. They'd probably help us more anyway.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

I feel similar on this as I did to missing out on Ridley and Aiyuk last year. These aren't players that I'll rue the day we missed out on them. That being said, they're eventually going to have get some capable receivers here and specifically someone who can play the X receiver spot. And it's a tough spot to fill so every option that comes off the board means we have to rely more on the draft which is scary considering how incredibly inept we've been at that spot.

 

[Love The Drake]

I feel similar on this as I did to missing out on Ridley and Aiyuk last year. These aren't players that I'll rue the day we missed out on them. That being said, they're eventually going to have get some capable receivers here and specifically someone who can play the X receiver spot. And it's a tough spot to fill so every option that comes off the board means we have to rely more on the draft which is scary considering how incredibly inept we've been at that spot.

If Hunter and Carter are gone, trade 4 to Pitt to take a QB in exchange for their first their third and Pickens.

 

[Headcase]

Looks like Higgins will be tagged but doesn’t mean he can’t be tagged and traded.
With the price of receivers signing 2 of them to #1 receiver money while having a terrible defense would be a pretty bad move by Bengals. Chase is going to cost a ton.
I thought Burrow was a great QB, he needs Chase AND Higgins to succeed?
Tag and trade makes most sense but we will see.

Only thing worse than signing a career #2 to be your #1 and paying him 30mil; is doing that and trading valuable picks to do it.

 

[Love The Drake]

If Hunter and Carter are gone, trade 4 to Pitt to take a QB in exchange for their first their third and Pickens.

@Headcase, do you not feel this would be great value for 4?

 

[KCSVEN]

If Hunter and Carter are gone, trade 4 to Pitt to take a QB in exchange for their first their third and Pickens.

That's a tough one: Pickens is a major head case that you'll need to pay big bucks for, and you drop all the way to 20 in a draft with only 12 first round prospects, the third is a 1 in 3 shot at best. You could probably go to Giants, take their 3(better than Pitt) and still draft the guy you probably want.
So basically, you are trading it for Pickens. Just seems like too much risk, how do you know he won't be a locker room cancer like he is in Pitt. Money and top pick is a lot to give up.
It's a huge risk/reward.

 

[Headcase]

@Headcase, do you not feel this would be great value for 4?

Don't think Pickens would be a great piece to add, talented sure, but the WR room has enough entitled WRs, he wouldn't be a vet that would help change that....don't think Vrabel would want him.

 

[Wozzy]

So can we stifle the Tee Higgins talk and get real on actually improving this team?

 

[Lansdowne]

Don't think Pickens would be a great piece to add, talented sure, but the WR room has enough entitled WRs, he wouldn't be a vet that would help change that....don't think Vrabel would want him.

If George Pickens is available by trade, it’s because Mike Tomlin, who has coached his fair share of divas and headcases at WR (Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool) does not have it in him to put up with Pickens for another season. That needs to be really considered, why a guy as talented as him, with a team that doesn’t have another WR1 type on the roster, is being pushed out rather than extended. He is the wrong player at the wrong time for what the Pats need, which is to add a grown-up in that WR room.

 

[maust]

Was just about to post this so now we can move on

That's interesting as just a few hours ago Florio was speculating no one would get tagged this year

The franchise tag market could be DOA in 2025

The annual two-week window or using the franchise tag opens on Tuesday.

www.nbcsports.com

Tagging Higgins a 2nd time could indicate the Bengals plan to sign him to a multi year deal. It could also be a tag n trade scenario. While there's a chance he plays under the tag for Cincy it seems unlikely, their cap space makes taking that hit this year unattractive to say the least. Higgins could force the team's hand though. Leading to Door Number 3, a situation where he doesn't negotiate with Cincy or a potential trade partner and forces the Bungles to to pull back the tag, making him a FA. That may sound unlikely until one considers the Bungles have 23 players headed for FA along with two major pieces headed into walk years. Taking $26M to pay Higgins on the tag off the top of the $48M they have available would put them up ****'s creek with their remaining negotiations. They really can't afford to have Higgins play on the tag, they need to spread his cost out so he could shoot his way out pretty easily if so inclined.

This could get damn interesting

 

[maust]

So can we stifle the Tee Higgins talk and get real on actually improving this team?

Unfortunately no, we can't. See my post above, until Higgins signs a deal the speculation sadly isn't going anywhere.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Yeah trading for Pickens is the type of chance I'd take if we had an otherwise strong roster with a glaring hole at X receiver. We can point to all the 1 year turnarounds in NFL history and I hope and pray that we become the next one of those, but I think you have to expect that the more likely outcome would be a multi year thing like Lions. I wouldn't trade for someone that looks to be a headcase like Pickens hoping that he holds up for multiple seasons. Seems like the type of guy who's going to have a short shelf life wherever he goes in his career. It'd be different if I felt we were ready to really take off to contending status during his "honeymoon" phase.

Don't get me wrong, if they keep waiting for the perfect player at every position to come available they'll never stop sucking because that isn't practical. If they take the approach that I see some people push for in here, they'll probably never be good again. But they don't have to go to the opposite extreme and treat it like everything has to be addressed this year with the best you can get even if you don't love the solution long term.

 

[bakes781]

I think they're using the tag as a way to extend their negotiating window. They know nobody would be willing to trade 2 first round picks and he likely won't play under the tag. Burrow will need to take a pay cut to make it work.

 

[Wozzy]

Unfortunately no, we can't. See my post above, until Higgins signs a deal the speculation sadly isn't going anywhere.

He’s gone, the weapons crowd just don’t know it yet.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

That's interesting as just a few hours ago Florio was speculating no one would get tagged this year

The franchise tag market could be DOA in 2025

The annual two-week window or using the franchise tag opens on Tuesday.

www.nbcsports.com

Tagging Higgins a 2nd time could indicate the Bengals plan to sign him to a multi year deal. It could also be a tag n trade scenario. While there's a chance he plays under the tag for Cincy it seems unlikely, their cap space makes taking that hit this year unattractive to say the least. Higgins could force the team's hand though. Leading to Door Number 3, a situation where he doesn't negotiate with Cincy or a potential trade partner and forces the Bungles to to pull back the tag, making him a FA. That may sound unlikely until one considers the Bungles have 23 players headed for FA along with two major pieces headed into walk years. Taking $26M to pay Higgins on the tag off the top of the $48M they have available would put them up ****'s creek with their remaining negotiations. They really can't afford to have Higgins play on the tag, they need to spread his cost out so he could easily shoot his way out pretty easily if so inclined.

This could get damn interesting

I'm not saying there aren't long term consequences, but the idea that any team is ever really "up ****'s creek" with their salary cap situation just isn't reality in the NFL anymore. They can free up $19.3M by converting Burrow's salary to signing bonus and free up another $9.6M by releasing Sheldon Rankins. Now they're in the same situation they're in now except they have Higgins instead of Rankins and an extra $3M in cap space. Chase and Hendrickson may be heading into walk years, but extending them will undoubtedly REDUCE their cap numbers so needing to extend them wouldn't be a valid concern for their cap this year.

People follow these other team's cap situation and always overestimate the caliber of player they're going to have to let go. Sure, the cap causes teams to make some choices but people need to get over the idea that a team is ever going to lose a high level player because they can't make the cap work. With the very rare exception, no team ever has to let anyone that they really want to keep go because of the cap.

 

[maust]

I'm not saying there aren't long term consequences, but the idea that any team is ever really "up ****'s creek" with their salary cap situation just isn't reality in the NFL anymore. They can free up $19.3M by converting Burrow's salary to signing bonus and free up another $9.6M by releasing Sheldon Rankins. Now they're in the same situation they're in now except they have Higgins instead of Rankins and an extra $3M in cap space. Chase and Hendrickson may be heading into walk years, but extending them will undoubtedly REDUCE their cap numbers so needing to extend them wouldn't be a valid concern for their cap this year.

People follow these other team's cap situation and always overestimate the caliber of player they're going to have to let go. Sure, the cap causes teams to make some choices but people need to get over the idea that a team is ever going to lose a high level player because they can't make the cap work. With the very rare exception, no team ever has to let anyone that they really want to keep go because of the cap.

The fly in that ointment is some teams can be a bit more 'creative' than others because they have owners who'll shell out the cash (not cap) spending that allows it to happen. If the past is any indicator the Bengals aren't one of them. Restructuring means ponying up cash now, something Bengals owner Mike Brown has shown he is loathe to do.

 

[maust]

He’s gone, the weapons crowd just don’t know it yet.

Meaning the rest of us will keep hearing about it