The Chicago Bears landed an elite wide receiver in DJ Moore via trade last year. In 2024, free agency could be the key to finding Moore a worthy sidekick.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report on Tuesday, January 30, sold on the idea of Tee Higgins returning to the Cincinnati Bengals next season. And if the team doesn’t use the franchise tag to keep Higgins under contract through 2024, he will officially become a free agent on March 13, making him available to teams like the Bears.
Higgins struggled through an injury-marred 2023 campaign, missing five games and posting a career-low 656 receiving yards. But he topped 1,000 yards each of the two seasons before that and would be a No. 1 wide receiver on more than a few teams.
But Higgins isn’t [Ja’Marr] Chase, and once the latter is extended on a deal that could reset the wide receiver market, the cap squeeze is going to be that much tighter in the Queen City. With only so much money to go around, an $18 million WR2 may be a luxury that the Bengals just cannot afford.
Tee Higgins Won’t Come Cheap, but Can Offer Bears Tremendous Value Regardless of Who Plays QB
The Browns may have a hard time luring Tee Higgins from the Cincinnati Bengals.
GettyWide receiver Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Higgins is the type of playmaking wideout the Bears will seek in the coming months and he knows what it’s like to work alongside a true No. 1 like Moore, having done so with Chase for the past three seasons.
Spotrac projects Higgins market value at $18.6 million annually, or approximately $74.4 million over the life of a new four-year deal. While pricey, that total is less than the roughly $20.6 million Moore’s contract pays him each season. The Bears’ estimated salary cap space in 2024 is also more than $49.1 million, per Spotrac, and wide receiver is both a position of value across the league and one of particular need in Chicago.
The franchise has a defining decision awaiting it in April in the form of the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. But whether the Bears select a top prospect or trade that selection and continue forward with QB Justin Fields, a talented wideout is likely somewhere in Chicago’s near future.
Bears Can Look to NFL Draft and Rome Odunze for No. 2 Wide Receiver
Rome Odunze, Washington
GettyWide receiver Rome Odunze of the Washington Huskies.
Depending on the plan general manager Ryan Poles develops and where the team feels it should invest financially in free agency as opposed to the draft, the Bears could also look to a rookie receiver to pair with Moore.
Recent examples like Jordan Addison with the Minnesota Vikings and Zay Flowers with the Baltimore Ravens — goal line fumble in the AFC Championship Game last weekend not withstanding — have proven that formula can be effective at a high level.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper released his initial mock draft on January 23, in which he projects the Bears will take quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick and then draft wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9.
“With the Bears’ second top-10 pick, I want to slot in a playmaker for the new quarterback I gave them at No. 1,” Kiper wrote. “Odunze had 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Huskies in 2023. He played out wide and inside — 30 of his catches came from lining up in the slot — and ran every route in the receiving tree. This would be tremendous value for Odunze, who is No. 5 overall on my board. He could be the 1B to DJ Moore, who had a great first season in Chicago. And with Williams throwing them the ball, the Bears’ offense would be extremely dynamic.”
