The Cincinnati Bengals have an uncertain offseason on the horizon, as the team must find a way to bolster a roster that shockingly missed the playoffs in 2024 despite having one of the league’s most potent offenses.

Cincinnati also has a few key players set to hit the free agency market, but none more important than wide receiver Tee Higgins. The 2020 second-round pick has been a dynamic player and the perfect complement to Ja’Marr Chase, but Higgins will likely land a lucrative deal on the open market that the Bengals won’t be able to match.

If Cincinnati loses Higgins this offseason, The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher predicts the Bengals will replace the Tennessee native with New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton. Mosher projects the team will sign the veteran receiver to a three-year deal worth $38 million.

“If the Cincinnati Bengals lose Tee Higgins, they would need to strike quickly to replace him, and this is not the draft to be searching for a receiver early,” Mosher wrote.

“Slayton won’t be nearly the price of Higgins but could add a similar vertical element to the offense,” Mosher added. “Pairing Chase and Slayton together for the next few years would be a pretty good backup plan for Cincinnati.”

Though Slayton would be a downgrade from Higgins, the 28-year-old has quietly been a productive player despite all the turmoil surrounding the quarterback position in New York.

Slayton has tallied four seasons with over 700 receiving yards in his six-year career and has missed just eight games since entering the league.

Slayton did have a down year in 2024, but the former Auburn Tiger could be in for a nice bounce-back campaign in 2025 if paired with Chase and given the opportunity to play with quarterback Joe Burrow. Slayton is a savvy route runner who is an underrated deep threat but can also serve as a reliable security blanket.

Mosher’s contract projection for Slayton is also pretty team-friendly, as the Bengals will have around $46 million in cap space, meaning the franchise has plenty of money to sign the 2019 fifth-round pick and also address other needs on the roster.

Overall, re-signing Higgins would be the best-case scenario for Cincinnati, but if the star playmaker departs this offseason, replacing him with Darius Slayton would be a logical move from the Bengals.