NFL Free Agency begins on March 12, with the tampering period officially starting March 10. The New England Patriots are already making headlines by saying they are not going to pursue Cincinnati Bengals free agent receiver Tee Higgins. The club says they intend to look at other receiver options, including lesser-valued free agents, rookies in the draft, or potential trades. The Patriots are likely engaging in disinformation or, in layperson terms, lying.
There’s no way on earth that the Patriots don’t address the position at all during the off-season. Demario Douglas led the team in receptions last year (66) for 621 yards and 3 touchdowns. This means New England’s top receiver ranked 41st in reception, 61st in yards, and tied for 81st in touchdowns. He’s also not a game-changing receiver. He’s an undersized possession receiver. Douglas excels in the slot, making tough grabs in traffic on third downs.
If the Patriots are to make any noise at all in 2025, and if they are committed to supporting Drake Maye, then they need to add a number-one receiver. Higgins is not just a potential top target, he is the only target the team should be considering.
The 2025 NFL Draft has some decent options at wide receiver, but none of them are worth the fourth overall pick (where the Patriots are currently slated). There isn’t a Ja’Marr Chase or Calvin Johnson to be had. The top-rated receiver will likely be Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. He is big (6’5 and 212 pounds) and moderately fast, but he’s more likely to run a 4.4 than a 4.2. He’s built in the mode of Mike Evans or Drake London. He can make catches but doesn’t scare anyone.
Luther Burden from Missouri isn’t far behind McMillan on most big boards, and he’s another five-foot-something quick slot receiver. He isn’t a top option in an NFL offense. After that, there’s nobody worth a first-round pick, and while a diamond could still be hidden in the rough, it’s highly unlikely a third-round pick will become a true number one. The Patriots will address the offensive line and edge rusher with their first few picks.
A few writers out there have been trying to stir excitement by suggesting new head coach Mike Vrabel may try to reunite with his former player AJ Brown. Assuming the Philadelphia Eagles are so disgusted with Brown’s performance (1,079 yards and 7 touchdowns in 13 games) that they absolutely must rid themselves of his presence, they would incur a $62 million cap hit next year if they traded him.
Playing that ridiculous scenario out even more, Brown would not come cheap. A best-case scenario would cost the Patriots a first and second-round pick, with a higher likelihood that Philadelphia would want multiple firsts to compensate for the gigantic cap hit. Is it possible, that Brown to the Patriots is just wishful thinking, and the team isn’t willing to part with multiple firsts, nor is Philadelphia willing to eat the money?
Higgins will be an unrestricted free agent, which means the only thing the Patriots would need to give up to get him would be money. Based on his performance over his career, he should be paid like a number two receiver, not a number one. That’s unlikely, however, because it’s the best possible year for a good second option at receiver to be on the market. Higgins is still only 26 years old, and he was better than anyone on the Patriots roster last season (and he only played in 12 games).
Higgins could ink a deal similar to what Brandon Aiyuk did with the 49ers last season (4 years and $120 million). Even if he chooses to be one of the top-paid receivers in the league, the Patriots have the cap space to accommodate such a request and still add other positions to the roster. They would get far and away the best receiver on the market (there really isn’t anyone else competing for the spot) and they wouldn’t have to give up any assets to get him.
In 2022, Ja’Marr Chase missed five games, and Tee Higgins was forced to be the top target for Joe Burrow. With defenses game planning to stop him, Higgins averaged 6 catches and 93 yards per game. Multiplying these averages into a 17-game season as the top dog for the Patriots, the product is 112 receptions for 1,581 yards. No matter how you slice it, that would be free agent money extremely well spent.
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