The Washington Commanders need another receiver opposite Terry McLaurin and have the cap space to go spending. Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins is available this offseason: tick and tick.

Granted, the report that the Bengals will franchise tag Higgins isn’t ideal from a Washington perspective, which likely means a trade would now need to happen, but that doesn’t mean the deal is dead in the water.

The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher has proposed a trade that sends Higgins to Washington and pick No. 61 to Cincinnati.

“Washington has the third-most effective cap space in the league and needs a No. 2 receiver,” Mosher writes. “Paying Higgins top-of-the-market money wouldn’t be an issue for the Commanders. But what would they need to give up to get him? How about pick No. 61, which is at the bottom of Round 2. Giving up assets to pay a player right away usually isn’t good business, but the Commanders can’t afford to wait. Their Super Bowl window is right now with Jayden Daniels on a rookie contract.”

The question is, how desperate do the Commanders want to be to get the right pieces around Daniels while on his rookie contract?

Higgins would command $25 APY, if not more, and the Commanders, while having ample cap room, still have a host of their own free agents to tuck away too.

Also, is pick No. 61 what will satisfy the Bengals? That remains to be seen, but if Washington wants Higgins on its roster in 2025, it will have to part ways with picks and be willing to swallow a monster salary.

If it feels it can, then Tee might just be in the nation’s capital in 2025, but there’s a lot of water to go under that bridge to get this once seemingly smooth deal over the line.