Fat Chance? Steelers Longshots to Land Bengals Free Agent WR Tee Higgins

Pittsburgh Steelers CB Levi Wallace Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins braces for a tackle by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace on Dec. 23, 2023. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers will almost certainly be looking to aggressively upgrade their wide receivers room during the 2025 offseason, but landing Cincinnati Bengals star Tee Higgins, the top free agent set to hit the market, might be far fetched.

Higgins is set to become a free agent in 2025 after playing under the franchise tag this past season. It is possible that the Bengals could tag him again, though they also have to deal with a new contract for fellow star receiver Ja’Marr Chase this offseason.

They could also bring Higgins back on a new deal, and that’s the most likely scenario, according to odds posted this week by BetOhio.com.

The bookmaker makes a return to Cincinnati the most likely option by far, with -150, and an implied probability of 59.4%.

Even if Higgins departs the Bengals, the Steelers aren’t among the top favorites. The Washington Commanders (+1,200, 7.6%), Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots (+1,250, 7.3%) and Denver Broncos (+1,750, 5.4%) all have better odds than the Steelers.

The Steelers and Tennessee Titans are tied with the sixth-best odds at +2,500. That gives them an implied probability of 3.8% of landing Higgins. Those are the worst odds of any team listed. The field, encompassing the rest of the unlisted teams, has better odds at +1,750.

Pittsburgh Steelers CB Donte Jackson Cincinnati Bengals WR tee Higgins
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson covers Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins on Dec. 1, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

There’s no question that Omar Khan will be desperate to add wide receiver help this offseason. The Steelers tried and failed throughout the 2024 offseason to come up with an upgrade at wide receiver after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers last March. Most notably, the Steelers were minutes away from landing San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk in a trade before Aiyuk decided to change his mind and stay in San Francisco.

The Steelers went into the season with Van Jefferson in starting lineup with George Pickens and Calvin Austin III and despite a trade deadline acquisition of Mike Williams, that’s how they finished the season, as well.

Jefferson finished the season with 276 yards on 24 catches. In nine games with the Steelers, Williams had nine catches for 132 yards.

One of the reasons the Steelers, despite their need at the wide receiver position, being a long shot could be the Bengals residing in the same division. If Cincinnati doesn’t want to or is unable to agree to a long-term contract with Higgins, they could tag him and then trade him to another team. But it seems very unlikely that the Bengals would trade him within the division.

Even if granted free agency, Higgins could be hesitant to sign in Pittsburgh after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Bengals.

The Steelers, of course, will be glad to see Higgins out of the AFC North, even if they aren’t his destination. In eight career games against the Steelers, he has 41 catches for 697 yards, his largest output against one opponent.

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