The New England Patriots might have their next franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. Now, they should look to surround their third overall draft pick with playmakers.
One potential fit for their wide receiver corps currently plays for their Week 1 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals. Tee Higgins is playing on the franchise tag and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season.
On Sunday’s Patriots Pregame Live, Albert Breer of The MMQB named the 25-year-old as a player New England could target.
“Tee Higgins is either going to be a free agent or they’re gonna tag him with the intention of trading him after the year. Either way, Tee Higgins will be available,” Breer said. “He’s somebody I think you certainly could look at.”
Higgins, who’s inactive for Week 1 vs. New England due to a hamstring injury, is coming off a down year with the Bengals. In 2022, however, he caught 74 passes for 1,029 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns.
Breer acknowledged that Higgins’ star teammate, Ja’Marr Chase, will likely resolve his contract situation and stay in Cincinnati. While Chase probably isn’t a realistic option for the Patriots, other intriguing wideouts could soon be made available in a trade.
“I think what you want to do is you want to look at the guys who are going into their fourth year when they’re first eligible for contracts, so you’re looking at that ’22 draft class for potential trade targets,” Breer added.
“Guys like Chris Olave; the Jets would never trade Garrett Wilson here but if there were any issues there he’d be one. Jameson Williams, who’s been a little up and down so far for the Lions. Drake London with the Falcons. Christian Watson with the Packers, he’ll be going into a contract year.”
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If New England can’t find a deal for one of those talented receivers, it could scour the free-agent market for a proven veteran. This would be the less appealing route as most of the impending free-agent receivers are getting up there in age.
As Breer notes, that likely factored into New England’s aggressive pursuit of San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The Patriots reportedly offered the 26-year-old a three-year deal worth $90 million and a four-year contract that averaged $32.4 million per year.
“When you look at the free agent class, you see some of the older names,” Breer said. “Guys like Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Chris Godwin, Brandin Cooks, DeAndre Hopkins, Robert Woods. It’s all guys who are on the back end.
“I think that’s why the Brandon Aiyuk situation was so appealing to the Patriots. You don’t know when a guy like that’s gonna become available. So even if it was a little bit before they planned on making a big swing to go and get a guy to pair with Drake Maye long-term, they felt like they had to take a swing when it was there for them. Maybe another one of those swings comes along over the next couple of years, but most of the guys who’d be available next year would either be by trade or on the older end.”
For now, the Patriots will lean on a young receiving corps that includes rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker alongside second-year wideout DeMario Douglas and 2022 second-rounder Tyquan Thornton. Maye will begin the season backing up veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett.
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