The 2024 New England Patriots suffer from a dearth of wide receiver talent. It's especially poignant since they have now clearly found their quarterback of the present and future in Drake Maye. Yet, a new NESN article may provide just the path the team is looking for this offseason.
NESN cites a development that could play right into the hands of the Patriots,
“There’s little to no chance Higgins is in Cincinnati beyond 2024,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote Wednesday. “People I’ve talked to feel pretty strongly about that, barring a major surprise. A second franchise tag would cost the Bengals around $26.2 million on a one-year rental. Higgins wanted out of Cincinnati last offseason, and the Bengals will likely allocate resources for a Chase contract. Higgins will have a strong market because of the number of receiver-needy teams and Higgins’ WR1 traits.”
The Patriots need a WR1 and more this offseason. For this team that can't draft wide receivers, the preferred way to get one is in free agency. If this report holds true, Higgins will be the best available on the market, and the Pats should do whatever it takes to get the young veteran Bengals receiver on board. Let's look at what it could mean to the Patriots.
Tee Higgins helps remedy the Patriots' lackluster wide receiving corps
Jason Ounpraseuth cites Over the Cap in that NESN article, indicating that the Patriots will have the league's highest amount of cap money in the NFL, $130M to allocate this offseason. If they use the draft to augment their woeful offensive left tackle situation, then there'd be no better priority than to drop a bag on Higgins.
Higgins is a true WR1 who immediately boosts a wide receiver corps that has been lacking since Julian Edelman retired. While Higgins has only played in five games and has recently suffered from a quad injury, he still has 29 catches for 349 yards and three TDs to his credit.
Higgins would still only trail one Pats receiver, Pop Douglas, who has 39 catches for only 356 yards and a sole score in twice the games. His talent is evident, and he'd instantly upgrade a receiving corps that needs two additions this offseason.
Pro Football Focus rates Higgins as the second-best free agent overall this offseason after safety, Jevon Holland of Miami. When you have loads of cash to spend, you buy the best and scout the rest. The Patriots should spend whatever it takes to land Higgins, and here are more reasons why.
Tee Higgins fits the Patriots' needs to a tee
Higgins makes sense in a whole host of ways. His talent is unquestionable. In his first four seasons, he had two thousand-yard receiving seasons, and in three of those, he had more than 100 receptions. No one's done that for New England in a while.
Additionally, his requiring double-teams will make everyone's job easier. Pop Douglas will get more open looks, and if the Pats ever get smart and move Marcus Jones to offense, they'd have three top potential game-breakers on the offense.
Another huge plus in evaluating whether Higgins warrants a massive outlay of cash on a long-term deal is his age. He'll only turn 26 next January and will have lots of miles left on his tires in his prime seasons to partner with wunderkind Drake Maye.
And about Maye, there's another great positive. During the 2024 offseason, there was speculation about the prospect of coming to New England for top free agent receivers, regardless of the money situation, as they may have felt there was no quarterback on hand who'd get them the ball. This was punctuated when the Patriots made it clear that Drake Maye would sit early in his rookie season.
That worry has now been dispelled by the young quarterback's solid initial performances after the Patriots' "brain trust" finally came to their senses and started the precocious rookie. He's just the young quarterback; any top young receiver would want to throw him the ball from anywhere and everywhere.
The news about Tee Higgins and free agency should light a bulb for the Patriots personnel group. After starting the 2024 offseason with a huge plus by drafting Drake Maye, the Pats stumbled and bumbled through the rest. It was a disaster.
The first thing the Patriots should do when the 2025 free agency "negotiating period" begins at noon on March 10, is to call both Tee Higgins and his agent and make the bounteous offer that will meet his demands. It will be one of the best moves they could make.