Former Cincinnati Bengals and journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is giving his prediction on the Tee Higgins situation. He does not believe the star wide receiver will be traded. Higgins is currently playing on the franchise tag after failing to come to a long-term agreement with Cincinnati in the offseason. However, Fitzpatrick, who played for the team in 2007 and 2008, does not believe he'll be moved by the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon.
“I don't know what's going to happen there, I wish I had a crystal ball,” says Fitzpatrick during a one-on-one interview on behalf of his new podcast with Andrew Whitworth, Fitz & Whit, a Wave Sports + Entertainment Original. “I would imagine from the history of the Bengals and Mike Brown, that there will not be a deal done there.”
Fitzpatrick makes sure to mention how big of a fan he is of Higgins, who has posted two 1,000-yard seasons and has been one of the NFL's better receivers since entering the league in 2020. Higgins, along with No. 1 receiver Ja'Marr Chase, has helped form one of the league's top receiving duos.
“I'm a huge Tee Higgins fan,” Fitzpatrick admits. “If you look at the two guys that are the Batman and Robin, No. 1 and No. 2 receivers, there's Tee Higgins and Devonta Smith. They're the two guys that are phenomenal and deserve to go somewhere and be a No. 1 to get all the targets and to dominate at the receiver position like they can to reach their true potential.”
Considering the Bengals are 4-5 and in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt, it would make very little sense to move Higgins before the trade deadline. When one considers that contending teams rarely make moves at the trade deadline as sellers, it essentially ends any potential for a move involving Higgins.
Ryan Fitzpatrick on how players approach the NFL trade deadline
While Ryan Fitzpatrick obviously now works as an analyst for Amazon's Thursday Night Football coverage, he has a wealth of experience as a player dealing with the trade deadline. The former veteran quarterback started for a record nine teams during his 17-year career. He details that from a player's perspective, you're not too worried about who the team adds or doesn't add.
“The trade deadline stuff as a player, you're just out there playing,” Fitzpatrick explains. “And if somebody gets added, great. If not, you're going with what you have. We were never too interested in that as players. Now as an analyst, I guess I need to be more interested in that. But I'm more into reacting to them rather than predicting them.”
Fitzpatrick details new podcast with Andrew Whitworth
Ryan Fitzpatrick's new podcast, “Fitz and Whit,” premieres new episodes every Monday and can be streamed on platforms such as YouTube, Apple and Spotify. The new series — which premiered its debut episode last Monday on Oct. 28 — will see Fitzpatrick and his ex-Bengals teammate and current TNF co-analyst, Whitworth, discuss a variety of NFL topics along with talking about their own experiences as players.
“He's a fun and great guy,” says Fitzpatrick of his friendship with Whitworth. “I think we've really developed some great chemistry over the last few years. We're not the same. I'm goofy, he's a little more serious. I can be serious, he can be goofy, but he loves working out and keeps losing weight and I'm trying to work out and just can't find the passion for it. He's my accountability partner. There's a lot of fun things, there's a lot of ways that we differ.”
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