Through a deal last year, the Chicago Bears acquired DJ Moore, a premier wide receiver. Free agency in 2024 might be the key to finding Moore a respectable partner.
On Tuesday, January 30, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport pitched Tee Higgins’ return to the Cincinnati Bengals for the next campaign. In addition, Higgins will become a free agent on March 13 and be available to clubs like the Bears if the team chooses not to use the franchise tag to extend his contract through 2024.
Higgins had a difficult 2023 season due to injuries, missing five games and finishing with a career-low 656 receiving yards. However, he had more than 1,000 yards in both of the previous seasons and was a top wide receiver for several teams.
However, Higgins is not [Ja’Marr] Chase, and the cap pressure in the Queen City will be even more intense if the latter is extended on a contract that has the potential to completely reset the wide receiver market. There’s only so much money in the world, and the Bengals might not be able to afford a $18 million wide receiver.
The Bears will be looking for a playmaking wide receiver like Higgins in the near future, and he has experience working with a real No. 1 like Moore, having done so with Chase for the previous three seasons.
According to Spotrac, Higgins’s market worth is expected to reach $18.6 million per year, or around $74.4 million over the course of a new, four-year contract. Even though it is expensive, the sum is less than the $20.6 million Moore receives year from his contract. According to Spotrac, the Bears have more than $49.1 million in salary cap room in 2024. Wide receiver is a position that is in high demand in Chicago and has value around the league.
The No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in April will be a pivotal decision for the club. However, a gifted wide receiver is probably in Chicago’s near future, regardless of whether the Bears trade that pick and stick with quarterback Justin Fields or choose to choose a top prospect.
