The idea of losing star wide receiver Tee Higgins in free agency is bad enough, but the thought of him signing with a major rival could be enough to cause any Bengals fan to lose their lunch. Unfortunately, it looks like one of the team’s biggest rivals has some serious interest in Higgins.

Pittsburgh Steelers rumored to have major interest in Tee Higgins

According to Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are high on Higgins, and could potentially be willing to pay him top dollar.

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Keep in mind that this is just a rumor, for now, but it’s also not the first time that we’ve heard Pittsburgh mentioned as a potential landing spot for Higgins. The Steelers desperately need some more playmakers on offense, and Higgins would certainly fit the ball. The fifth-year receiver had 73 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024 despite missing five games due to injury issues.

Plus, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was extremely complementary of Higgins after the Week 13 matchup between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, comparing him to dominant NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

“When we play Shaq, we’re going to use our fouls,” Tomlin said. “… “Tee is a goon. … You cannot let a dude like that beat you up,. You gotta match the fire with the fire. … We weren’t as successful in that regard today. We’ll keep working, but one thing we’re not going to do is let that guy goon us.”

Tomlin certainly sounded like a guy who would love to coach Higgins, as opposed to coaching against him, and maybe he’ll get an opportunity to do so. However, there are other factors at play. The Steelers will have plenty of competition when it comes to potentially signing Higgins, as he’s widely considered as the top impending free agent.

At the end of the day, it will ultimately be up to Higgins to decide where he wants to play, and staying in Cincinnati could even be an option, albeit a seemingly unlikely one. It remains to be seen if he would even want to play in Pittsburgh after spending the first five seasons of his career in Cincinnati. But, one thing is for sure: Seeing Higgins in the black-and-yellow would be a tough pill to swallow for Bengals fans.