Tee Higgins, Courtland Sutton's Best Landing Spots After 2024 NFL Draft Day 1

Day 1 of the NFL draft is complete.

Seven wide receivers went in the first round, led by Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. going fourth overall to the Arizona Cardinals.

Expect many more to go in Day 2. The B/R NFL Scouting Department is high on a bunch of names, with the crew listing 21 wideouts among the top 104 players on their final big board.

In a pass-happy league, it's imperative for teams to load up on wide receivers, but they have options outside the draft. Some free agents are still out there (e.g. Odell Beckham Jr., Tyler Boyd), but other players have been thrown into trade rumors and speculation for various reasons.

Two of the biggest names: Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins and Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

The Bengals applied the franchise tag on Higgins, who has requested a trade in search of a suitable long-term contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Sutton is skipping Broncos' voluntary workouts as he hopes for a new contract, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who added that the team doesn't plan on trading him. He has two years left on a four-year, $60 million contract extension.

Both players have fared well in the pros, but it remains to be seen whether their times with their current teams are ticking away.

If that's the case, here's a look at three teams that may make sense for each playmaker.

When considering the best landing spots for Higgins, two factors come to mind.

First, does the team have a boatload of future cap space to fit his contract?

Second, does the team in question sorely need a wide receiver?

Third, is the team in position to win now, or does the team need to help out a young signal-caller along in his development?

Let's start with the New York Jets. They're top 10 in effective cap space beginning in 2025 (just under $70 million), per Over the Cap. New York only has one true and consistent pass-catching weapon (Garrett Wilson). And time is of the essence in New York, where the team hasn't made the playoffs in 13 years. Also, the team needs to maximize its time with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Next, let's look at the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bolts have a ton of cap space coming in 2025 ($98.4 million in effective cap space). They've lost their top two wideouts (Keenan Allen and Mike Williams) to trade and a salary cap cut, respectively.

The Chargers aren't in great position to win now after a rough 5-12 season, but they do need to give fifth-year quarterback Justin Herbert some more weapons.

And then there's the New England Patriots. No team has more cap space than New England over the next two years. They benefit now from having quarterback Drake Maye on a rookie contract for at least four years. The Pats should take advantage of that window.

New England desperately needs wide receivers. Only one Patriot (Pop Douglas) had more than 500 receiving yards last year. The Pats have some talent at the position but need a true No. 1. New England doesn't have the talent to win now, but it would behoove them to put Maye in the best position to success, and that means giving him a bona fide weapon.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were mentioned as a "team to watch" in Fowler's aforementioned report. That would make a lot of sense. Sutton would reunite with ex-Broncos teammate Russell Wilson, who formed a productive rapport with the pass-catcher in 2023 en route to his 59 catches, 772 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Steelers just lost one of their most productive wideouts in Diontae Johnson via trade to the Carolina Panthers, so they need a lot of help, especially with the team leaving Round 1 without wideout help (they selected Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu instead).

Sutton's name has also crossed the Baltimore Ravens' minds before.

In April 2023, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported this after the Ravens signed Odell Beckham Jr.:

"Desperate for a quality veteran receiver, the Ravens explored trade and free-agent possibilities," Zrebiec wrote. "At one point, there appeared to be a deal to be made for Courtland Sutton, but the Denver Broncos decided they didn't want to trade him."

Beckham's one year in town is now over, and the Ravens have a hole in the depth chart in his place. Could Baltimore go back to that well? They could use more talent for reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, especially to compete with high-powered offenses such as the one led by the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes.

To round this out, why not the Bills? They need some more wideout help after sending Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and losing Gabriel Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. Buffalo did add Curtis Samuel from the Washington Commanders, and Khalil Shakir came on late at the tail end of the 2023 season.

But it's interesting to note that the Bills traded out of the No. 28 (and then the No. 32) picks to the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers, who took wideouts Xavier Worthy and Xavier Legette, respectively. Maybe Buffalo has a player in mind that's going to be there when it leads off in Round 2.

But Buffalo could also go the veteran round and select a wideout like Sutton, who would be the team's No. 1 WR right away. He's never had a quarterback close to the caliber of Josh Allen, and perhaps the signal-caller could bring out Sutton's best.