The New England Patriots shouldn’t be deterred by the Cincinnati Bengals officially franchise tagging Tee Higgins. This feels like a short-term solution to keep all parties happy. But if history is any indication of what the Bengals are planning, it’s to let Higgins walk next year.
This is why the Patriots should expedite this and force Cincinnati’s hand to tag-and-trade Higgins before the season starts. The idea is that Cincinnati is tagging Higgins to buy them time to come to an agreement on a long-term deal.
The only thing that could convince me the Bengals would consider a long-term deal is that they truly believe they won’t be able to retain Ja’Marr Chase. Per a story in The Athletic, the Bengals and Chase have resumed contract negotiations but aren’t any closer to coming to a long-term deal.
Cincinnati would love to keep both and there’s a slim chance they can. That’s why the Patriots need to keep a really close eye on the contract situation. They could very well force the Bengals to move Higgins before the season even begins.
Why the New England Patriots should aggressively pursue Tee Higgins
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Patriots need some offensive help. But the most important position they need to address is the wide receiver. They had terrible production from their receivers this past season.
Hunter Henry was the team’s leading receiver. For some teams, when your tight end is the leading receiver, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But most teams need production from their receivers to be successful each week and that includes New England.
The Patriots offense was miserable with Henry as the leading receiver. That’s why they need to be aggressive in getting Higgins. As the No. 2 option for the Bengals and missing a few games last season, Higgins still had over 900 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches.
Those are No. 1 option numbers and exactly what Drake Maye needs to take that next step. Look at quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels. They had true No. 1 options in their rookie years, and it turned into playoff wins and, for Daniels, a playoff run to the NFC championship game.
I’m not saying Higgins will instantly make the Patriots contenders in the AFC East, AFC and even make a run at the Super Bowl. But getting a player like Higgins will go a long way in helping Mike Vrabel turn this organization around in the post-Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era.
The Patriots might have to wait until after the 2025 season to get Higgins. But if they force the Bengals to consider tagging and trading Higgins instead, it could be one of the biggest moves of the offseason.