Chargers get close look at possible Justin Herbert weapon Tee Higgins on SNF

The Los Angeles Chargers will get an up close and personal look at their possible top free agency target next offseason on Sunday night when Tee Higgins suits up for the Cincinnati Bengals.

As they head into Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh experience, the Chargers project to have roughly $75 million in free cap space before any cap-saving moves (like Joey Bosa’s $36.4 million cap hit) and a massive need at wide receiver.

The franchise-tagged Higgins might be the top overall player headed to the open market in 2025 and a Bengals team that needs to push all possible wideout cash to Ja’Marr Chase won’t be able to prevent that.

Should the Chargers put up the right contract, Higgins would be hard-pressed to find a better landing spot than on an ascending contender as the No. 1 target for Justin Herbert.

The problem for the Chargers—and anyone looking at Higgins—isn’t necessarily cash, but the former second-round pick’s availability. Higgins has had two different injuries limit him to five games this year, and soft-tissue injuries have plagued his career.

And yet, Higgins is a No. 1 when on the field with 4,025 yards and 27 scores to his name on a 14.1 per-catch average over 63 games.

The Chargers have spent some big assets on wideout over the past few years, like the first-rounder on Quentin Johnston and second-rounder on Ladd McConkey. And while Jim Harbaugh teams want to be run-first in nature, it’s pretty hard to ignore how Higgins might fit with those two names in the passing attack.

Maybe Higgins isn’t treating Sunday night like an audition for his future team, but he can make a really compelling case the Chargers won’t be able to soon forget.

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