Titans head coach hiring is awful news for Jets' Tee Higgins chase

The NY Jets will likely spend a ton of resources this offseason on adding a wide receiver, be that through a high draft pick or expensive free agent. With Tee Higgins possibly leaving the Cincinnati Bengals, New York has one very clear high-end target they must look at.

Having been stuck as the second banana in Cincinnati behind the excellent Ja'Marr Chase, Higgins might bolt in search of a better opportunity and/or more money. The Jets can make him a compelling offer, but an AFC South foe seems like the premier non-Bengals landing spot.

The Tennessee Titans made some noise when they hired former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to be their next head coach, replacing Mike Vrabel. Callahan's first order of business will likely be to give Will Levis as many tools to succeed as possible.

The Titans have the financial flexibility to give Higgins a big contract, would let him join a familiar system he has already excelled in, and bring the Oak Ridge native back to his home state of Tennessee. The Jets need to really blow him away to come up with a more attractive offer.

NY Jets could lose Tee Higgins to Titans after Brian Callahan hire

While the status of DeAndre Hopkins is still up in the air, signing Higgins would give Levis either a standout No. 2 receiver ready for his moment as a featured option or one of the best 1-2 punches at the position in the league should D-Hop be retained. That's an attractive sales pitch, especially when you don't have to deal with Nathaniel Hackett.

With Davante Adams likely staying with the Raiders, Higgins might be the biggest single upgrade the Jets can make at the position. He might again play a secondary role to Garrett Wilson, but playing with Aaron Rodgers would give him a greater volume of targets than Levis would.

Where Tennessee has another advantage over the Jets is financially, as Over The Cap projects them to have the second-most cap space in the league. The Jets can have some wiggle room, but they would need to make some major subtractions to pay Higgins and field a deep, competitive roster.

The Jets need to add at least one new receiver, and bringing in a second makes sense. Higgins is by no means a lost cause, and New York needs to make a serious play for him, but they must go into this knowing the Titans might have multiple enticing factors in play that make them more attractive.