New Report On Elite NFL Free Agent Bodes Well For Patriots

Is it incredibly likely that Tee Higgins will join the Patriots this offseason? Probably not. It’s tough to imagine the star wide receiver is enamored with the idea of playing in New England.

However, at the very least, it sounds like Mike Vrabel will have the opportunity to make their case to arguably the best impending free agent this spring.

ESPN on Wednesday released a power ranking of the top 50 players slated to hit the open market once the 2024 season concludes. Higgins, who’s coming off another great season in Cincinnati, was situated at No. 1, and his profile included an important note from NFL insider Jeremy Fowler.

“Some executives are skeptical that Cincinnati can pay both Higgins and Chase,” Fowler wrote. “‘It’s possible, but would require some significant trade-offs,’ an AFC exec said. ‘They will have close to $70 million a year tied up in receivers, plus the quarterback cost. I think it makes more sense to go the cheap route, especially given the improvements they need to make on defense.'”

That obviously would be a promising development for the Patriots, who badly need a true No. 1 wide receiver in their offensive arsenal and have the salary cap space to acquire one. The only problem is, even a lucrative long-term offer might not be enough to convince Higgins to join an offense that’s been anemic for years.

However, between Drake Maye’s emergence and the new additions of Vrabel and Josh McDaniels, perhaps Higgins will sincerely hear the Patriots out.