Patriots
“They’ve shown an interest in established receivers, and Higgins is the best free agent.”
The Patriots believe they have their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye.
Now New England needs to surround him with some playmakers this offseason.
And while the Patriots have the means to add an impact receiver via a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, The Athletic’s Chad Graff expects New England to open up the checkbook to sign pending free agent Tee Higgins.
“Here’s an easy guess simply from reading the tea leaves: The Patriots are going to be all in on Tee Higgins,” Graff wrote when asked about New England’s offseason priorities. “They’ve shown an interest in established receivers, and Higgins is the best free agent. I expect them to offer him the moon. The question is whether he says yes or no.”
Higgins has been linked to the Patriots since the end of last season, with the 25-year-old wideout coveted as a deep threat who could thrive in an offense with an skilled QB like Maye.
While Higgins has benefited from playing on a Bengals receiver corps anchored by Ja’Marr Chase, he is a skilled playmaker in his own right.
Despite being limited to just seven games entering Week 14, Higgins reeled in 43 catches for 558 yards and five touchdowns. He has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons on his resume in just five NFL campaigns.
Even though New England has seen solid returns from a few pass-catchers this season like Hunter Henry and DeMario Douglas, the Patriots are in desperate need of a proven, No. 1 wideout moving forward.
New England currently ranks last in the league in passing yards per game (171.5) and are second to last in the NFL in receiving touchdowns (13).
The writing has been on the wall that Higgins will leave Cincinnati this offseason, especially after he requested a trade from the Bengals in March.
According to OverTheCap, New England is expected to enter the 2025 NFL season with the most effective cap space in the NFL at $117,807,196.
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