Tee Higgins a Possibility? (Per The Athletic)

[dennehy]

I'm on board with Tee. Bears need a WR1. With this draft not looking like it has WR1 talent (debatable), I could see Poles trying to acquire Tee. Tee/Claypool/Mooney/then a 2nd or 3rd rounder.

So the whole idea that the Bengals will trade Higgins is because him Chase will cost too much,

In this scenario you likely have Mooney, Claypool, and Higgins, who will cost more than that, and all roughly at the same time.

 

[Hawkeye OG]

So the whole idea that the Bengals will trade Higgins is because him Chase will cost too much,

In this scenario you likely have Mooney, Claypool, and Higgins, who will cost more than that, and all roughly at the same time.

My thought would be they let Claypool or Mooney walk in FA. Most likely Mooney, IMO unless he takes a Bears friendly deal this offseason after an injury.

 

[dennehy]

My thought would be they let Claypool or Mooney walk in FA. Most likely Mooney, IMO unless he takes a Bears friendly deal this offseason after an injury.

I don think there's a chance they let Mooney walk. I think there's a much better chance they extend his this offseason.

Claypool maybe but what a terrible look if so.

 

[DB012031]

Chase missed 5 games.

I get it, Brown is excellent. He's really unguardable on the sideline if the ball is placed in the right spot. Hurts was very good at the that this year, and if Burrow has the kind of OL the Eagles have he would almost never miss. That's my point, not to undermine Brown.

Solid points. Man, if Burrow had the Eagles O-Line, we would be talking about Burrow as the best in the NFL, not Mahomes (and I live in KC and frankly am sick of the Mahomes love).

 

[rawdawg]

I don think there's a chance they let Mooney walk. I think there's a much better chance they extend his this offseason.

Claypool maybe but what a terrible look if so.

Eh, it is what it is. It was shot to give Fields some help. Didn't work. They all won't work. Letting him walk because you have a legit #1 that you're paying 20M to is much better than forcing a long-term extension to Claypool because you gave up a high pick to get him.

 

[dennehy]

Eh, it is what it is. It was shot to give Fields some help. Didn't work. They all won't work. Letting him walk because you have a legit #1 that you're paying 20M to is much better than forcing a long-term extension to Claypool because you gave up a high pick to get him.

I agree, but I don't think they are going to just say eff it to Claypool, before the trade even has a chance to pay off.

I don't think there' anyway they're getting rid of Mooney. He's the only WR that's established any connection with Fields, and I think that means a lot for him this year.

So they trade for Higgins and they are pretty much boxed in to trading Claypool for peanuts of letting him walk after the season no matter what.

 

[rawdawg]

I agree, but I don't think they are going to just say eff it to Claypool, before the trade even has a chance to pay off.

I don't think there' anyway they're getting rid of Mooney. He's the only WR that's established any connection with Fields, and I think that means a lot for him this year.

So they trade for Higgins and they are pretty much boxed in to trading Claypool for peanuts of letting him walk after the season no matter what.

Yeah, and that's not a big deal. Mooney isn't a 20Mil/year WR, so you can afford him and Higgins, most likely. They don't need to get rid of Mooney, especially if they lock him up before hand.

As for Claypool, I wouldn't trade him because you aren't going to get much for him. But someone will pay him when he hits the market. I would happily let him walk and get a comp pick for him. With all the Bears money and high draft pick this year, potentially bringing them a high draft pick next year, they probably aren't going to be big spenders in 2024 so Claypool could bring back a late 3rd comp pick.

 

[remydat]

Chase missed 5 games.

I get it, Brown is excellent. He's really unguardable on the sideline if the ball is placed in the right spot. Hurts was very good at the that this year, and if Burrow has the kind of OL the Eagles have he would almost never miss. That's my point, not to undermine Brown.

Therein lies the rub though. They don't have that kind of OL because they spent more resources on WR than OL. So the question is are they willing to give up Higgins to perhaps actually get top end talent on that OL.

 

[Hawkeye OG]

Eh, it is what it is. It was shot to give Fields some help. Didn't work. They all won't work. Letting him walk because you have a legit #1 that you're paying 20M to is much better than forcing a long-term extension to Claypool because you gave up a high pick to get him.

I'm not willing to write Claypool off yet. Would like to see him next season after a year in the system and working with Fields. The game Claypool got hurt, him and Fields were on the same page. The potential is there.

 

[dennehy]

Therein lies the rub though. They don't have that kind of OL because they spent more resources on WR than OL. So the question is are they willing to give up Higgins to perhaps actually get top end talent on that OL.

That's not a rub. The Eagles spent more resources on WR and OL than Cincinnati did. They just spent them a little better.

Cincinnati also spent a ton on OL this year and it was paying off until they lost 4/5 starting OL in the last 4 weeks of the season (including playoffs).

 

[dennehy]

Yeah, and that's not a big deal. Mooney isn't a 20Mil/year WR, so you can afford him and Higgins, most likely. They don't need to get rid of Mooney, especially if they lock him up before hand.

As for Claypool, I wouldn't trade him because you aren't going to get much for him. But someone will pay him when he hits the market. I would happily let him walk and get a comp pick for him. With all the Bears money and high draft pick this year, potentially bringing them a high draft pick next year, they probably aren't going to be big spenders in 2024 so Claypool could bring back a late 3rd comp pick.

If Claypool is the #3 this year and puts up a meh year he's not going to bring 3rd for a comp pick.

I just don't think they're going to be as willing to write Claypool off as you think.

And as far as trading for Higgins, doesn't seem like they are going to be able to do that anyway, unless they acquire a mid-late first rounder and are willing to trade it rather than make the pick. Both those things seem unlikely to me.

 

[remydat]

That's not a rub. The Eagles spent more resources on WR and OL than Cincinnati did. They just spent them a little better.

Cincinnati also spent a ton on OL this year and it was paying off until they lost 4/5 starting OL in the last 4 weeks of the season (including playoffs).

The Eagles have a good mix of young guys and vets so better able to stagger things. Bengals will have to pay Burrow, Higgins and Chase 90-100m so yeah that will limit what they can do at OL. They spent at OL this offseason because those 3 guys were still cheap. But that OL was inconsistent all season not just due to injuries. First 9 weeks they only had 3 pass block grades in the 70s as a group. So think they will have to spend on OL again. Mahomes is proving if you got a QB of that caliber you probably better off spending to protect him rather than spending a ton for 2 No 1 WRs.

 

[rawdawg]

I'm not willing to write Claypool off yet. Would like to see him next season after a year in the system and working with Fields. The game Claypool got hurt, him and Fields were on the same page. The potential is there.

Nobody's writing him off. The Higgins thing isn't happening anyway. But the way Claypool was talking about thinking he's a top 5 WR, that's the talk of a player that values himself too highly and may be tough to sign after 2023 anyway. If you can get better than him, then you do it. But I'd 100% give him 2023 to see what he can do with Fields.

 

[dennehy]

The Eagles have a good mix of young guys and vets so better able to stagger things. Bengals will have to pay Burrow, Higgins and Chase 90-100m so yeah that will limit what they can do at OL. They spent at OL this offseason because those 3 guys were still cheap. But that OL was inconsistent all season not just due to injuries. First 9 weeks they only had 3 pass block grades in the 70s as a group.

The Eagles are good at it. It's not a matter of how they allocate resources it's that they have better players. In a couple years they will be paying a similar amount for their QB and 2 top WRs.

The Bears will have to play Fields, Higgins, and Mooney probably $80-90m at the height of their deals if Fields works out. The difference is one high ticket FA OL.

PFF has little value. You basically made this point yesterday (inadvertently) and I pointed it out. If you didn't watch the games at all, then PFF isn't going to tell you anything. They were rough for the first 3-4 or so, and then they were very solid after that.

 

[rawdawg]

If Claypool is the #3 this year and puts up a meh year he's not going to bring 3rd for a comp pick.

I just don't think they're going to be as willing to write Claypool off as you think.

And as far as trading for Higgins, doesn't seem like they are going to be able to do that anyway, unless they acquire a mid-late first rounder and are willing to trade it rather than make the pick. Both those things seem unlikely to me.

Higgins isn't going to be on the block anyway. If he is, there's more ways to do it that just a straight up 2023 pick. They could send a 2024 1st. They could get an extra one in a trade down from 1 to get that pick, so could be dealing from an extra 1st. They could trade down to like 4 and then trade 4 for Higgins and 28-29 or whatever.

But yeah, nobody is writing off Claypool. This is a far fetched "what if" scenario. And IF you can get a guy like Tee Higgins, you certainly kick Claypool to the curb. If you don't, which they likely won't, you do your damndest to make the Claypool/Fields connection one of the best in the league.

 

[remydat]

The Eagles are good at it. It's not a matter of how they allocate resources it's that they have better players. In a couple years they will be paying a similar amount for their QB and 2 top WRs.

The Bears will have to play Fields, Higgins, and Mooney probably $80-90m at the height of their deals if Fields works out. The difference is one high ticket FA OL.

PFF has little value. You basically made this point yesterday (inadvertently) and I pointed it out. If you didn't watch the games at all, then PFF isn't going to tell you anything. They were rough for the first 3-4 or so, and then they were very solid after that.

But it is a matter of how they allocate resources. Only Lane Johnson is making big money on that OL. They also paying him 24m next year but then taking it down to 14m in subsequent years when they have to start paying JM big money. One is also 25 while the other is 32 so they really aren't on the same timeline.

Likewise, AJ Brown is signed thru 2026. Smith is a FA in 2026. By the time they have to pay Smith, they can remove AJ's contract off the books and probably will have already drafted AJ's replacement.

The issue the Bengals will have is they have too many guys clustered together. Sure you can still sign them but it will have a greater effect on the rest of the roster than how the Eagles have managed it. They would be better off turning Higgins into a younger resource IMO and creating a bigger spread between their stars. Higgins is a luxury really not a necessity. That money is better spent elsewhere IMO.

The difference with the Bears is we have few stars we have to pay and we don't know if Fields is a franchise QB. If you are trading for Higgins then you are doing so to help Fields develop. If I already knew Fields was a franchise QB and elite passer then I would roll with Mooney and Claypool and dump far more resources in the OL and keeping that D good. I would then use the draft to get a WR so that if he becomes good, by the time I have to pay him Mooney and Claypool can be moved off the books if need be. A legit franchise QB does not need two no 1 WRs. They just need competent WRs.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

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[remydat]

Nobody's writing him off. The Higgins thing isn't happening anyway. But the way Claypool was talking about thinking he's a top 5 WR, that's the talk of a player that values himself too highly and may be tough to sign after 2023 anyway. If you can get better than him, then you do it. But I'd 100% give him 2023 to see what he can do with Fields.

It doesn't matter how Claypool talks. He either delivers on the field or he isn't getting paid period. Teams aren't going to pay him based on his talk. They are going to pay him based on his actual production. And he will have an agent that brings him down to earth if his asking price exceeds his production.

 

[Camden Cutler]

Tee should be poles #1 priority this off season id trade next years first no ?

fuck naw

 

[dennehy]

But it is a matter of how they allocate resources. Only Lane Johnson is making big money on that OL. They also paying him 24m next year but then taking it down to 14m in subsequent years when they have to start paying JM big money. One is also 25 while the other is 32 so they really aren't on the same timeline.

Likewise, AJ Brown is signed thru 2026. Smith is a FA in 2026. By the time they have to pay Smith, they can remove AJ's contract off the books and probably will have already drafted AJ's replacement.

The issue the Bengals will have is they have too many guys clustered together. Sure you can still sign them but it will have a greater effect on the rest of the roster than how the Eagles have managed it. They would be better off turning Higgins into a younger resource IMO and creating a bigger spread between their stars. Higgins is a luxury really not a necessity. That money is better spent elsewhere IMO.

The difference with the Bears is we have few stars we have to pay and we don't know if Fields is a franchise QB. If you are trading for Higgins then you are doing so to help Fields develop. If I already knew Fields was a franchise QB and elite passer then I would roll with Mooney and Claypool and dump far more resources in the OL and keeping that D good. I would then use the draft to get a WR so that if he becomes good, by the time I have to pay him Mooney and Claypool can be moved off the books if need be. A legit franchise QB does not need two no 1 WRs. They just need competent WRs.

No, only Lane Johnson has very large cap hit this year. Mailata and Kelce have huge contracts, they jut got extensions.

I don't think Cincinnati will see it that way. I think they will see him as an asset they want to keep rather than trading him in for a shot at a star that isn't guaranteed. That's based on how they've acted in the past.

Not sure what exactly is the point of the last paragraph. I think they need to dump resources into OL either way.