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One of the frustrations of the early part of the NFL offseason for the Patriots has been the way a fairly thin free-agent wide receiver market got even thinner very quickly. Mike Evans re-signed with the Buccaneers. Michael Pittman was franchise-tagged by the Colts. Tee Higgins was franchised by the Bengals. For a team that needs a receiver almost as much as a quarterback, this was all bad news.
Ah but now a glimmer of hope. After getting tagged, the Bengals and Higgins have not been able to reach an agreement. Now, according to multiple reports, Higgins is seeking to wash his hands of Cincinnati and has requested a trade.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports on Twitter/X, “Bengals franchise WR Tee Higgins has requested a trade, per sources. Higgins loves Cincinnati and hoped to be with the team long term, but is disappointed that the team has not had any talks about a long-term contract extension since March 2023. He’s ready to move on to a new home.”
Tee Higgins Trade Would Require Picks Package
It’s not clear what kind of package would have to be offered up in order to land Higgins, but it would likely require something along the lines of what the Eagles gave up to get A.J. Brown from the Titans in 2022—a first- and third-round pick.
The Patriots, with the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, won’t be sending that away for Higgins, but could perhaps give the Bengals their second-rounder (No. 34 overall) and third-rounder this year. They could add a pick in 2025 as well. It’s a considerable cost, but that’s how badly the Patriots need a receiver.
And there’s no one better available than Higgins. At just 25 years old, Higgins struggled with injuries in 2023, but still averaged 15.6 yards per reception when healthy, in 12 games. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021-22.
As USA Today wrote on Monday, “Eliot Wolf spoke of the need to ‘weaponize the offense.’ Well, here you go. No better quick fix for a team that has been woefully lacking in support for its quarterback, and Higgins would be a major asset to any young passer who takes the reins behind center.
“And a big-money deal isn’t a problem for a team that enters Monday with the second-most cap space (more than $82 million) at its disposal.”
Patriots Need WR Depth
The cupboard is decidedly bare at wide receiver in New England.
Recently re-signed Kendrick Bourne is probably their best wide receiver, but he is a No. 2/3 on a decent team. They have two more years of JuJu Schuster-Smith (they can wriggle out of his contract in 2025), who likely is playing on one knee, and two more years of 30-year-old DeVante Parker, who can’t stay healthy and has not been all that good when he has.
Rookie sixth-round pick Demario Douglas was promising last year, and figures to have a more prominent role. But he is a 5-foot-8 slot guy.
The entire receiver room would look better with Higgins at the head. We don’t know who the next Patriots quarterback will be, but he’ll look a lot better with Higgins lining up on the outside, too.
It won’t be cheap. Spotrac projects Higgins to get a contract worth more than $18 million per year, or $74 million over four years. But the Patriots, sitting on a pile of cap space that started at more than $100 million, should be able to make that work.
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