The news of the Bengals deciding to franchise tag Tee Higgins again this offseason is not exactly the news that the Patriots wanted to hear ahead of free agency. The receiver was expected to be their main target next month and it was believed they were going to offer him quite a salary to get him in the door, which will now be put on hold for the time being.
The Bengals hope to reach a long-term agreement with Higgins before the 2025 season, as they attempted to and failed to do last year. So they're following the same script by tagging him. They now owe him over $26 million for next season, regardless of whether a deal is reached. This takes up more than half their current available cap space, which doesn't include other extensions they hope to get done.
That means the Patriots cannot pursue Higgins for the time being unless the Bengals decide to entertain trade offers. But since he will be on the backburner, other trade options are available for the Patriots to consider who could bring equal or better production to the receiving corps next season.
Not all hope is lost for the Patriots and their pursuit of a top wide receiver in 2025
Over the past few weeks, a few receivers have already been labeled as trade options by their team, with the most prominent names being Rams' Cooper Kupp and 49ers' Deebo Samuel.
While neither is necessarily the player that the Patriots would like to have in 2025, their experience and immediate upgrade to the receiving corps would make it hard to turn the other way if a trade offer were presented.
Cooper Kupp
Kupp has been among the best receivers in the NFL since he was drafted in 2017. He has worked with several quarterbacks throughout his career and thrived no matter who he was catching footballs from, proving to be a consistent weapon for any offense he was part of.
He has seen a bit of a decline over the past two years, which could easily be attributed to the rise of Puka Nacua, who the Rams drafted in 2023. He has taken a lot of snaps away from Kupp, especially when he was sidelined with an injury, and has become Matthew Stafford's most trusted target because of it. Still, over the last three years, Kupp has recorded 201 receptions for 2,259 yards and 17 touchdowns, which is nothing to scoff at.
That's likely a reason the Rams are looking to move on from Kupp, as the 31-year-old has already become the most sought-after tradeable player this offseason. The Patriots should be in on him, even if his recent history has been plagued with injury because he would be the immediate WR1 they have been looking for.
The only issue they might run into is what the Rams will want in return, especially since Kupp is still a highly productive player and expected to draw a lot of interest around the league.
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Deebo Samuel
The Patriots have long been interested in Samuel since he was drafted by the 49ers in 2019, mostly because Bill Belichick chose to draft N'Keal Harry instead. It's a decision that has haunted the team in the years since, but they can finally right a former wrong by trading for the 29 year old this offseason.
Like Kupp, Samuel has taken a bit of a backseat to some of the newer additions to the 49ers roster in recent years, like fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk and versatile running back Christian McCaffrey. That puts him on the outside looking in heading into this year's free agency, which is why the 49ers are hoping to trade him.
He's still been a consistent performer for the Niners, despite seeing less opportunity, recording 167 receptions for 2,194 yards and 12 touchdowns since the 2022 season. Injuries are not a concern with Samuel, like they are with Kupp, and he's a few years younger, which is also a plus.
That might make him more expensive to attain, but the Patriots have the means to get it done if Samuel is deemed their guy. But they might have another option to look into, as well.
George Pickens
If the Patriots hope to get a younger receiver who can stay with the team longer and really develop with Drake Maye, they might want to look into current Steelers receiver George Pickens.
The 23-year-old has been impressive since he came into the league in 2022 as a second-round draft pick and hasn't had the luckiest start with the quarterbacks he's had to play with. Despite that, he's proven he can be the caliber of player the Patriots need, recording 174 receptions for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns.
With so much uncertainty in Pittsburgh with the quarterback, it's fair to assume that Pickens isn't exactly content with the situation. He's somewhat voiced that over the past few months, which heightened rumors that the Steelers might be interested in trading him before things get too bad.
That might not be the best way to start his Patriots tenure, but if they really want to get a player of Pickens' caliber then they might have to look past that and pay the price to acquire him. Game-changing receivers don't grow on trees nor do they become available often, as we're seeing with Higgins, so the Patriots will have to explore options like Pickens to fill the gaping hole in their receiving corps.