NFL outlet calls for Clemson pros reunion in Jacksonville

Trevor Lawrence and Tee Higgins were quite successful in Clemson. Could they run it back in Jacksonville?

by TigerNet Staff - Wed Jan 17 10:39:02 GMT-04:00 2024

The Jacksonville Jaguars already feature an offensive triplet of Clemson pros, and they have been identified by one prominent outlet as needing to reunite more former Tiger teammates.

Pro Football Focus says that the Jaguars should target current Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins in free agency, bringing the band back together with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne.

"Styles win fights, but they also help round out passing attacks. And that’s exactly what Higgins would do in Jacksonville. Calvin Ridley saw 22 contested targets for the Jaguars in 2023, a facet in which Higgins has proven he can win as an NFL wideout. He caught 57.6% of his contested targets in 2022 and has proven himself to be a borderline No. 1 receiver when healthy," said PFF's Gordon McGuinness.

With Lawrence at QB largely, Higgins tallied 118 catches for 2,103 yards and 25 receiving touchdowns over the 2018 and 2019 seasons on a team that went 29-1.

Higgins was a second-round selection from the Bengals in 2020 and his contract is coming up after some productive seasons around some injury issues.

Before being limited to 12 games this past season, Higgins had totaled 215 receptions for 3,028 yards and 19 scores from 2020-22.

He isn't out of Cincinnati just yet, however, as the Bengals could choose to use the NFL's franchise tag to bring him back for another season. An ESPN analyst predicted just that.

"The Bengals will place the franchise tag on Higgins instead of trading him to another team as often rumored. They are currently sixth in projected cap space for 2024 and can easily fit the franchise tag into their budget and keep this high-end offense rolling," Aaron Schatz said.

ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler says Higgins doesn't appear to be the priority for a bigger contract in Cincinnati.

"The belief around the league is the Bengals have prioritized Joe Burrow (already extended) and (Ja'Marr) Chase (will be extended down the road), meaning Higgins might be the odd man out because of financial constraints. But the dynamic receiver will be awfully tempting to keep, which is why I'm not taking a franchise tag off the table. Multiple teams would be willing to pay him something close to No. 1 receiver money," Fowler said.

In addition to Lawrence and Etienne, the Jaguars also feature former Clemson offensive lineman Tyler Shatley.