The Carolina Panthers need a lot of help heading into the NFL offseason, but one of their biggest needs is definitely finding more weapons for quarterback Bryce Young.
Right now, the Panthers have some interesting young receivers in Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, as well as a crafty veteran in Adam Thielen.
However, Legette and Coker are yet to prove themselves, and Thielen is considering retirement and could eventually be released.
Clearly, Carolina has a significant hole here, which is why Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder named Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins as the team’s top target in free agency.
“Especially if Thielen is cut, adding a young No. 1 receiver for Young should be one of Carolina’s top priorities in free agency,” Holder wrote. “Higgins will be one of the best defenders on the open market with 330 receptions for 4,595 yards and 34 career touchdowns during his five-year career.”
Of course, the question is whether or not Higgins would realistically consider the Panthers.
While the 25-year-old surely wants to get paid, he also probably wants to play for a winning team, and he seems pretty happy in Cincinnati.
Heading into 2024, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Higgins would leave the Bengals after the season, but now there appears to be hope that he could return to Cincy.
Plus, Carolina doesn’t have a lot of cap room. The Panthers are expected to have about $34 million in available cap space this offseason, and Higgins could absorb a lot of that if Carolina moves in that direction.
Overall, the chances of Higgins actually landing with the Panthers seem pretty slim.
But hey, they can dream, right?
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