Patriots get another sign to pursue a trade for Tee Higgins

The drama continues for a few receivers this offseason, with Tee Higgins seemingly leading the charge. He was set to become a free agent for the first time in his NFL career this year, but the Bengals chose to franchise tag him after negotiations for an extension fizzled out.

Those talks have not picked up since then, at least according to Higgins, who then requested a trade because of it. Not much has been said regarding his status in Cincinnati, nor have any updates about a new contract come to light.

But he seems to have hinted at what might be happening behind the scenes in a shortly posted before deleted Instagram story.

One Bengals fan made sure to screen record Higgins' post, which featured a black screen and clip from singer Akon's hit song from 2003 entitled "Locked Up."

Just as quickly as it was posted, Higgins deleted it. But this is the internet, and they say anything you upload will live there forever.

Typically, something like this might not cause fans any pause. But because he has requested a trade and it appears the Bengals continue to stall extension talks, posting a song about feeling stuck somewhere and being unable to get out feels like it could hint at something bigger.

Of course, the assumption is that Higgins is alluding to being trapped with the Bengals, and their apparent lack of desire to keep him with the team long-term makes him feel like he has no way out despite demanding a trade.

If that is an accurate portrayal of his current situation, the Patriots should make the call and bring in the offensive weapon they need. The current rumored asking price is a high second-round pick, which they have with the 34th overall pick. And recently, there have been talks of even that being too high, which would be even better for the Patriots, who could offer next year's second-round pick instead.

No matter what it is, this feels like a situation where there's smoke and fire, and there's no reason for Eliot Wolf not to talk with Duke Tobin about completing a trade.

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