It doesn’t look like the Washington Commanders will be able to sign wide receiver Tee Higgins in 2025 NFL free agency, but the team is still expected to be “looking” at All-Pro Cooper Kupp.
That’s according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who told SportsCenter (h/t Bleacher Report’s Timothy Rapp) on Monday, February 17 how the Los Angeles Rams still favor trading Kupp.
As Fowler put it, the Rams would “prefer to get some sort of compensation for him. They’re going to save at least $7 million on their cap by doing so. Talking to people around the league, he will have a market because he’s so quarterback friendly. The Patriots could look into this, certainly Washington is looking for a complimentary No. 2 receiver, and the Steelers as well.”
The idea of the Commanders looking for a “quarterback friendly” receiver makes sense when the fortunes of the franchise rest on the throwing shoulder of Jayden Daniels. He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with Terry McLaurin the only wideout on the roster capable of striking fear into the hearts of defensive backs.
Kupp isn’t giving DBs sleepless nights at 31 and beset by ankle injuries in recent years, but he still knows how to get open at every level. Higgins would’ve offered the fear factor as a legitimate field-stretcher catching passes from Daniels, but the Cincinnati Bengals and the franchise tag look set to thwart the Commanders’ best laid plans.
If so, Kupp is a worthy alternative.
Tee Higgins Setback Forces Commanders Rethink
Higgins has long been touted as a logical target for the Commanders, one worth paying top dollar to land. Fowler’s colleague Matt Bowen believes “Higgins can win at all three levels of the route tree in OC Kliff Kingsbury’s system.”
It’s a fine theory, but there’s the not-so small matter of the Bengals wanting to keep one of their key playmakers. To that end, the AFC North franchise will use the tag, according to Sports Illustrated’s James Rapien.
He reported “Sources say Higgins’ camp expects to get tagged at this point. He would be the top free agent if he were to make it to free agency. That isn’t expected to happen. The Bengals will tag Higgins by the March 4 deadline.”
A tagged Higgins could cost the Commanders as much as two first-round draft picks. Kupp would be cheaper to acquire in a deal, even if he attacks coverage in different but more subtle ways.
Cooper Kupp Makes Sense for Kliff Kingsbury Offense
Kupp is no longer a consistent winner outside the numbers, but he does fit as a roving target who remains physical after the catch. Most of Kupp’s movement for the Rams has involved going in motion, “and while the Commanders don’t use a ton of motion, Kupp would be a valuable addition on all the perimeter screens and RPOs they run,” according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.
The latter believes the Rams will ultimately cut Kupp rather than trade him. That would be good news for the Commanders, despite them having two compelling reasons to trade.
Barnwell believes if Kupp is cut, the former Super Bowl MVP “would end up landing a deal in the $8 million range, where his every-snap value as a blocker and receiver would be weakened by the concerns about his ability to stay healthy.”
However they acquired Kupp, the Commanders would get a trusty pair of hands and somebody able to beat all kinds of coverage. Kupp is able to win on the perimeter, the way he did on this play against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, highlighted by the Receiver School.
The veteran’s vertical skills are underrated, but Kupp is at his best working underneath and across the middle. Especially when he gets to choose where to go on “option” or “choice” routes.
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner explained what makes Kupp prolific on choice routes back in 2023, namely, “being able to see the field like a quarterback.”
This attribute is just what Daniels needs to build on his spectacular rookie campaign and take his game to the next level. Putting Kupp on the depth chart would also give McLaurin a credible underneath complement, a role neither veterans Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder, nor rookie Luke McCaffrey, managed to make their own in 2024.
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