With all of the commotion from the previous offseason, the Arizona Cardinals represent the most likely trade partner for Higgins. Prodigal wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is nearly a lock to be selected by Arizona at this time given the current draft order and elite potential. Accordingly, the NFC West team, which acquired the 27th overall pick from the Miami Dolphins at the previous NFL Draft, will retain it.
After only one day, Arizona would have perhaps the best receiving tandem in the NFL with Higgins and Harrison, who would be acquired for a first-round pick along with a day two or day three pick. Suddenly, this is an outstanding offensive when you take into account that tight end Trey McBride is still with the team for another two seasons on a rookie contract. In any case, the organization will now have enough quality surrounding outstanding quarterback Kyler Murray to evaluate his potential contribution to the team going forward.
Cincinnati would also benefit greatly from the trade since they would be able to retain the player on a rookie wage for five complete seasons and draft Higgins’ replacement with the 27th overall choice in the first round. Following Higgins’ trade, there has been conjecture that the team would be interested in matching up brilliant LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with other former Tigers like All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase and legendary quarterback Joe Burrow.
In addition to the standard LSU defense, Thomas had superior athleticism and comparable abilities to Higgins, which would complement the Cincinnati offensive plan. After the dramatic events of the last several weeks, fans might not be happy about losing Higgins, but Cincinnati appears to have won big by trading away a player who would have cost over $25 million a season in exchange for a replacement who may have even more raw promise.
Leave a Reply