Chargers signing Tee Higgins in free agency keeps popping up in projections

Chris Roling | Jan 31, 2025

Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s no great secret that one of the biggest offseason priorities for the Los Angeles Chargers is upgrading the offense around franchise quarterback Justin Herbert. 

Now is a good time to do it, too, with names like Tee Higgins topping the free-agent market. 

Naturally, those cap-happy Chargers keep getting linked to the star Cincinnati Bengals wideout in projections, too. 

Mason Cameron at Pro Football Focus listed the Chargers as the best fit: "For the second straight offseason, Higgins will be one of the most sought-after players on the market. Despite dealing with nagging injuries the past two seasons, Higgins erupted in 2024 and earned the highest PFF receiving grade of his career (88.3), ranking seventh among wide receivers.”

RELATED: Could Chargers acquire Cowboys' Micah Parsons in blockbuster trade?

How about another? Zack Cook of Sports Grid just predicted the free-agency connection. 

Another? NFL insider James Palmer suggested the fit makes too much sense for the Chargers, too: “What I find interesting about the Chargers is this: Ladd [McConkey] plays the Z. He plays in the middle of the field. ... Having an X receiver on the outside to go with Ladd on the inside only benefits both players and only benefits Justin Herbert."

The Chargers actually adding Higgins is more complex than droves of layup-type projections make it seem, though. Before even getting into bidding wars on the open market for his services, the Chargers will actually have to hope the Bengals even let Higgins get there – and Cincinnati has every reason to keep Joe Burrow happy and plenty of cap space to make it happen, even if it requires a second franchise tag. 

General manager Joe Hortiz has to actually want Higgins, too. While a great player, dishing out a top-five wideout contract doesn’t fit how the Chargers have moved since Hortiz’s arrival – and keep in mind Higgins’ extensive history of soft-tissue injuries dating back to college. He’s played in just 12 games in each of the last two seasons. 

The Chargers need a top tight end and wideout to pair with breakout rookie Ladd McConkey. But they might just be content to let other teams fight over Higgins while they zero in on other names that fit the vision. 

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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