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NFL Rumors: 5 Tee Higgins trades still on the table after Bengals tag WR

The Cincinnati Bengals could trade Tee Higgins after franchise tagging the star wideout.

By Christopher Kline

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals / Perry Knotts/GettyImages
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2. New England Patriots

pats

The New England Patriots are also in need of QB help. The Mac Jones era is effectively over, even if the Patriots haven't officially landed his successor. Most signs point toward New England taking Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick in April, but there is speculation that a trade down could occur. There's also a chance, albeit slim, that New England seizes the opportunity to select consensus top prospect Marvin Harrison Jr., a wide receiver from Ohio State.

If the Patriots draft the best WR prospect since A.J. Green, that's fine. It shouldn't necessarily remove them from the Tee Higgins sweepstakes. Most great offenses are built around multiple top-shelf playmakers. Higgins has made his bones as an extremely talented complement to Ja'Marr Chase in Cincinnati. He could fulfill a similar role next to Harrison in New England; or, perhaps those roles are reversed in the early going.

Either way, the Patriots' draft-day choice shouldn't inform their stance on Higgins. He's a tremendous talent at the WR position and the Patriots should want him. How the QB issue comes to be resolved is important, but Higgins would be a tremendous crutch upon which a rookie QB can lean. The Patriots are probably a season or two away from meaningful contention, but Higgins can sign a long-term deal through his prime to help revamp the Pats' stagnant offense.

If New England opts for the veteran QB in free agency, Higgins can help plenty there, too. He's a perennial 1,000 yard receiver, with a chance to level up in a more expanded role. If the Pats do pair him with Harrison in the draft, New England very quickly establishes one of the best WR duos in the NFL. There is no wrong choice.

No matter the exact direction the front office takes, Higgins would be a major step up from last season, when the Pats' WR room often felt like the league's worst. JuJu Smith-Schuster is simply not a WR1. He would look much better with second or third billing.

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