The race to become the highest-paid Wide Receivers in the league is on right now and CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, and Tee Higgins are in the pole position. It’s like a royal rumble of the WRs where they are fighting to get the biggest deal in the whole of NFL. But there are a lot of variables that come into play when a team decides to give $30 million plus to a receiver.

However, these receivers have an intertwined faith and what happens with their contracts depends on Justin Jefferson, who nearly got traded from the Minnesota Vikings. As far as Tee Higgins is concerned, he hasn’t been showing up in the OTAs and is holding out till he gets the contract he wants. Now there are more things that their respective teams need to consider before the new season begins.

Justin Jefferson just caused a chain reaction in the NFL

News recently broke out that the Vikings wanted to move up from pick 11 to pick 5 to draft Malik Nabers. If that had happened, Justin Jefferson would have found himself playing for another team. Per Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press revealed, “There was buzz at draft time that the Vikings wanted to move from No. 11 to No. 5, not to pick a quarterback but to get LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was picked No. 6 by the Giants. Had that trade occurred, Jefferson would have been traded and Nabers would have been the No. 1 receiver.”

Jefferson, at his peak, had a season north of 1,800 yards in 2022. Known for doing the griddy in the endzone after making one-handed catches, the Vikings’ star receiver is in the 5 year of his optional rookie contract and is set to make $19.7 million this year and hasn’t got a new deal yet. His market value is projected to be $32.7 million, per Spotrac and it brings us to CeeDee Lamb and Tee Higgins.

Lamb finished the season with 135 receptions, 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns in the last season. Regard as possibly the best in the league, the Dallas Cowboys WR is also at the end of his 5-year deal and is set to take home $17.9 million this season. Lamb took to Instagram and posted a couple of pictures of him captioned, “Life come with a price, ian got time for discussions.” The caption might suggest that Lamb is comfortable with the idea of moving on.

The WR hasn’t been attending the OTAs and is waiting for Justin Jefferson to get a deal so that he can name his price to Jerry Jones. Another reason why Lamb is holding out is because Dak Prescott hasn’t got a deal yet.

The dots that connect Tee Higgins to Lamb and Jefferson

Firstly, none of these WRs have been spotted at the OTAs on account of holding out. But there’s something special about Tee Higgins’ deal. The Cincinnati Bengals have given their WR a franchise tag. However, Higgins hasn’t signed the contract. The team will not allow him into the OTAs until he signs the papers. Higgins will get about $21.8 million this year and his projected market value is about $19.7 million.

Hence, there’s a huge discrepancy with Higgins’ contract as compared to his peers Lamb and Jefferson. Naturally, he would want his deal to be in the ballpark of said players. Another problem the Bengals WR faces is that his team has picked Ja’Marr Chase on his fifth-year option. If he plays next year, he will be paid about $21.8 million next year.

Higgins was riddled with injuries in the last season and 2023 was his worst performance with 656 yards and 5 touchdowns. His coach Zac Taylor believes that the Bengals have the best shot of getting to the Super Bowl with Higgins around. The team has given extensions to 5+ players in the off-season except Tee Higgins.

There are mixed reactions about each of these players staying with their teams if a deal doesn’t get done in time. However, there is no shortage of teams willing to sign these receivers without the blink of an eye. What do you think will transpire? Let us know your predictions in the comments section below!