The San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver room could look quite different next season as Deebo Samuel requested a trade and Brandon Aiyuk is working his way back from a torn ACL and MCL that he suffered in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
While Aiyuk will hopefully be back at some point, Samuel is not guaranteed to be back in the Bay Area. If that’s the case, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings will be the No. 2 and 3 wide receivers, which isn’t a bad group.
However, if the Niners want to get back to the top of the NFC West and be a contender in the NFC, they need to make a splash in free agency for a wide receiver like Tee Higgins.
The former second-round pick is considered one of the top free agents in this year’s class and could be set for a massive payday. The 49ers are projected to have $54.5 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com, giving them the ability to make a few big moves this offseason.
At a Super Bowl fan event, Higgins was asked about his future with the Cincinnati Bengals and didn’t shy away from the question. The 26-year-old wide receiver made it clear that he and the rest of his teammates want to build something special with the Bengals. But Higgins also understands the business too.
"Yeah, of course, we all want to keep the core pieces what it is, even with Mike Gesicki. That's a core piece as well. So obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy, Higgins said, via FOX19’s Joe Danneman (h/t Coral Smith of NFL.com). "But you know, it's not in my hands right now. So I gotta do what I need to do, and if that's go to another team, that's what happens."
"I love it here, I love the city, I love the fans, I love the coaching staff, everything in the building. But, it's not in my control."
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) February 10, 2025
We know what fans want.
We know what Joe Burrow wants.
But what is Tee Higgins' priority when it comes to his future? pic.twitter.com/zUDVXpuQfm
According to Spotrac.com, Higgins’ calculated market value is a four-year, $101 million deal with an average annual salary of $25.4 million.
It will be interesting to see if Higgins exceeded this projection. Few teams with more cap space need a star wide receiver. The 49ers should attempt to go after him, but fans must remember that Brock Purdy still needs to get paid.
However, if San Francisco missed out on Higgins, that shouldn’t stop the team from addressing the position in the draft or free agency.