Patriots' ideal plan to help Drake Maye in 2025 has never been more obvious

The New England Patriots might be 3-8 on the season, but Drake Maye continues to do nothing but impress. Matthew Stafford out-dueled him in Week 11, but Maye completed 29 of his 39 passing attempts for 282 yards and two touchdowns to go along with one interception. The Patriots lost, but Maye playing that well with arguably the worst supporting cast in the NFL surrounding him is a great sign.

That supporting cast is a huge reason why Maye didn't begin the season as the team's starter. Chances are, the Patriots will look to improve that area of their roster by the time the offseason rolls around.

There are several ways for the Patriots to make the necessary improvements. They'll likely have a high draft pick, which they can use to address their many needs. They can also pursue help in trades and/or free agency. And according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the ideal player to help Maye is not far away:"The feeling here is Cincinnati lets Tee Higgins walk in free agency and allocates resources for Chase, a 2026 free agent," Fowler wrote.

The Cincinnati Bengals have both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to pay this coming offseason. Given Chase's absurd season, they'd almost certainly prioritize keeping him, making it likely that Higgins will walk in free agency. If that is indeed the case, he'd be a perfect fit in New England.

Patriots must pursue Tee Higgins to help Drake Maye

The Patriots' No. 1 wide receiver is DeMario Douglas, who has 43 receptions, 415 yards and one touchdown in 11 games. Douglas is a fine receiver, but comparing him to a talent like Higgins, who has recorded 38 receptions for 489 yards and four touchdowns in just six games played this season is simply not possible.

Higgins might be the WR2 in Cincinnati, but he clearly has the talent to be a clear-cut WR1. Durability has been a bit of an issue in each of the last two seasons, but his first three seasons saw him record at least 900 yards and six touchdowns despite playing a lot of the time as the second option behind Chase.

Higgins would not come cheap, but he's just 25 years old, and the Patriots are projected to have more than $139 million in cap space this offseason per Spotrac. They have the cap space to bring him aboard and the obvious need.

Based on how Maye has played, it's clear that he has the potential to be their QB of the future. Giving him a weapon as good as Higgins to throw to, would give him the best chance to prove that and would give the team the best chance to turn the corner and begin to come close to competing again.