How Patriots Should Proceed Given Tee Higgins Won’t Hit Free Agency

Editor’s note: The following story initially was published when it was reported the Cincinnati Bengals would use their franchise tag on Tee Higgins if the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a long-term deal before March 4. It’s been updated to reflect Monday’s development.

The dream is dead.

The Cincinnati Bengals placed their franchise tag on star wide receiver Tee Higgins, as first reported by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Monday.

Cincinnati hopes it will be able come to terms on a long-term agreement with Higgins, and now the two parties have until mid-July to work out such deal. If they don’t agree on a long-term extension before mid-July, Higgins will play on the $26.2 million tag. It would mark the second consecutive season Higgins would do so.

Higgins would’ve been the top player on the open market. However, he will not jump into the free agency pool when it opens next week. It serves as a brutal blow to the New England Patriots, who surely hoped to make a splash themselves.

Where do the Patriots go from here? It’s a complex answer to a simple question, but it boils down to spending money on other positions of need.

Other wide receivers scheduled to hit free agency include Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper. Godwin might be the best of those options, but he’s older, coming off a serious injury and not worth the same investment Higgins was. Neither are Diggs, Allen nor Cooper.

Instead, those finances should be spent on other top-of-market players who address other needs.

Veteran offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, for example, is projected to earn a contract in the neighborhood of two years and $42 million. Stanley will enter his age-31 season, but is coming off a campaign in which he allowed two sacks in 1,062 snaps at left tackle, per Pro Football Focus. As the best offensive tackle set to hit the market, New England should make him its top priority.

And then there’s the other side of the ball. Defensive tackle Milton Williams, who is projected to earn $12 million annually on his next deal, should elevate up the Patriots wishlist. New England badly needs to add to its front seven with Christian Barmore’s future uncertain and Davon Godchaux reportedly on the trade block.

Perhaps the Patriots make a run at fellow Super Bowl champion Josh Sweat, a 27-year-old edge rusher who’s market value is projected to turn into a three-year, $56 million deal? Or perhaps New England spends on cornerbacks D.J. Reed and/or Charvarius Ward, who would be a solid complements to Christian Gonzalez.

Those players, all of whom represented some of the top talents available, become easier to fit with Higgins out of the picture.

That’s not to say New England is out of options at receiver. But Higgins was far and away the best pass-catcher this offseason. It’d be better for the Patriots to pursue other avenues like the trade market and draft.

Trading for Cooper Kupp would give the Patriots a sure-handed receiver and security blanket for quarterback Drake Maye. Kupp will enter his age-31 season and isn’t the same player he once was, but he would still be New England’s top pass-catcher. It’s been speculated the Rams could take on some of Kupp’s salary and would only cost a Day 3 pick. That’s a no-brainer for the Patriots.

Other options like D.K. Metcalf and Chris Olave might exist via trade, as well. Both would both cost more to acquire than Kupp, though.

If that doesn’t work then the Patriots should turn their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft. Franchise wideouts don’t come available on the open market, which the Higgins-Bengals situation proved. New England should remember that in April and target a wide receiver with a premium pick like a first or second-rounder.

A few top prospects: Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden III, Matthew Golden as well as Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. With premium selections in the first and second rounds as well as a pair of third-rounders, New England has the ability to identify receiver talent and draft contributors.

The dream for Higgins is dead, but that just means the Patriots need to chase another one.