Sportsbooks are offering betting odds for many notable names and the team that they will take their next snap with.
In the wide receiver market, there are a few star pass-catchers hitting the open market next month, and we also have a WR still under contract on a team that cannot get over the hump and might choose to move on.
It’s all quite intriguing, and it’s worth digging into the odds a bit more.
Tee Higgins’s next team odds
The latest report suggests that the Cincinnati Bengals are planning to franchise tag Tee Higgins as he enters his fifth season, and that report from just 24 hours ago has made Cincinnati the -500 favorite to remain Higgins’s home next year.
The Bengals could tag him, yes, in the hopes of making a return run to the Super Bowl, but one must also consider that a tag-and-trade could still be on the table. Joe Burrow got his massive contract, and Ja’Marr Chase is going to be next. It feels unlikely that Cincinnati will ever be able to give Higgins the long-term contract he deserves, and they may opt to secure some compensation for him now.
That opens the door to a few options, and we’re drawn to New England as Higgins’s next team at +1500. The Patriots badly need wide receivers, and with the third pick in the draft, they very likely might be taking a QB from whatever is left of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. Pairing a rookie signal-caller with a talented and proven WR about to hit their prime would be a wise decision.
Mike Evans’s next team odds
Mike Evans is a future Hall of Famer, no doubt about it. He has recorded 1,000+ yards in all 10 of his seasons, and enters the market as a free agent and one of the top WR options available.
He’s spent all 10 seasons with Tampa Bay up to this point, winning a Super Bowl, and Evans had another big year with Baker Mayfield at the helm, even winning a playoff game.
We like to think Evans wants to remain a Buccaneer for life, and the odds reflect that as the most likely outcome at -165.
However, if Evans wants a big contract and a chance at the Super Bowl, what do you think about Houston being Evans’s next team at +750?
C.J. Stroud won Rookie of the Year and was simply phenomenal at QB, and his young WR tandem of Tank Dell and Nico Collins showed themselves to be dynamic. The beauty for Houston having so much quality talent on their rookie deals means they have a lot of cap space for the next few seasons, meaning they could break the bank with Evans.
Adding Evans to this offense? Sheesh.
Stefon Diggs’s next team odds
Stefon Diggs and Buffalo are in an interesting position. Diggs is still under contract for a few more years, but he currently has no guaranteed money left. Buffalo could move on from Diggs before March 18 without guaranteeing him the $18 million he’s set to receive in 2024. A trade or release of Diggs would result in a lot of dead money toward the cap this season, but then they’d be free and clear of his contract moving forward.
Diggs, now 31, has gone on the record of saying he doesn’t know what will happen this offseason and is prepared for anything. Talk is out there that Buffalo might move on, and although they have no in-house replacements at Diggs’s level, they did watch as their star WR1 was mostly quiet down the stretch this postseason.
Buffalo is currently -300 to be Diggs’s team this season, but what about a team like Dallas at +1200 to make a splash? We know that the Cowboys will leave no stone unturned in the trade market, and we also know that the constant postseason disappointment they have suffered will force Jerry Jones to get aggressive.
Diggs in Dallas could be an intriguing fit, if they can make it work, pairing him with his brother, star CB Trevon Diggs.