Patriots forced between rock and hard place with Travis Hunter and Tee Higgins

The New England Patriots need to find help for quarterback Drake Maye, whether it be on the offensive line or skill positions. However, what was thought to be two of their ideal options entering the offseason may already be off the table.

Maye showed flashes last season, and the Patriots brought in a new and accomplished head coach, Mike Vrabel, to oversee the next stages in his development. Again, what Maye is lacking is help, which the Patriots hope to provide him with this offseason. That all starts in the draft and eventually free agency, where New England has already been linked to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Higgins has long played robin to Ja'Marr Chase's batman. Still, he is valued by the Cincinnati front office and quarterback Joe Burrow, so much so that Burrow has sent multiple warnings to Bengals ownership not to let talented players like Higgins walk away. It seems to be working.

“The pie is not going to grow,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said, h/t ProFootballTalk. “It's only going to be a certain size, but when you reach a point with your quarterback that you have to pay him a big contract, that takes a disproportionate piece out of the pie. Which means you have less left to pay the others. Sometimes that impacts whether you can get the others signed. You can't just pay people willy nilly.”

Patriots must get creative to support Drake Maye if Tee Higgins signs extension

That is not a good sign for New England, which hoped to poach Higgins away once he reached free agency. They have been consistently linked to the Clemson product.

Alongside Higgins, the Patriots have also been a rumored NFL Draft destination for Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. While Hunter excelled as a wide receiver in college, some pundits believe he'll transition best as a cornerback while taking limited snaps on offense. If New England were to take Hunter, it would likely come in a similar capacity, which limits how much he can be an asset to Maye.

Hunter will work out at the NFL Combine, but primarily as a defensive back. It's tell that his agent and support system has directed him to do so, as he has more draft and financial potential as an NFL cornerback, rather than wide receiver or both.

The Patriots must get creative to provide Maye with the right support, even if it's not the players New England fans were excited about just a few months ago.