Detroit Lions rumors: Tee Higgins quickly advanced as a bold trade target

The NFL "free agency frenzy" for 2024 is now off to the races. With that new will come fast over the next two days or so, and rumors as such too.

On Monday morning, according to multiple reports, Bengals wide receive Tee Higgins has asked for a trade. Cincinnati placed the franchise tag on him, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported he is disappointed there have been no long-term contract talks in a year and "is ready to move on to a new home". So the move to tag him seems to be a sheer effort to keep him from hitting the open market unabated, rather than a placeholder for a long-term deal.

Of course the Bengals don't have to entertain Higgins' request for a trade, at all. But it's safe to assume they will have offers come their way, and at least one may be one they should not refuse if they have no plans to keep Higgins long-term.

Detroit Lions quickly put out there as potential suitor for Tee Higgins

On the heels of the news Higgins has asked for a trade, Ben Solak of The Ringer got right to the point with one possible suitor and what they should give up.

The Lions should have surface-level interest in Higgins. It appears wide receiver is high on their draft board, and they could use a big "X" receiver.....someone like Higgins (6-foot-4, 219 pounds), who is a proven commodity in the league.

It's not out of the box for a wide receiver to fetch a first-round pick in a trade. While many who recently have landed a first round pick in return land as bigger names or better players than Higgins, a couple that did (Marquise Brown, D.J. Moore) aren't in that upper class. And Higgins is 25 years old.

Will the Lions make a trade offer for Higgins at all? Let alone offer their first-round pick in April? The chances feel slim on the latter front particularly, but it isn't out of the question.