Patriots Could Land Top WR With Unconventional Move

The New England Patriots may try to bag this top wide receiver by using a rather unconventional method during the NFL offseason.

Dec 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are in clear need of help at wide receiver heading into the NFL offseason, so they may as well wear a neon sign that says "We Want Tee Higgins."

Higgins is slated to be the top wide out on the free-agent market, but the question is whether or not he would actually want to sign a long-term deal with the Patriots.

Well, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine has outlined a rather interesting method in which New England can acquire Higgins: a tag-and-trade.

In Ballentine's scenario, the Cincinnati Bengals would slap a franchise tag on Higgins and then trade him to the Pats.

"Higgins could technically become a free agent and the Patriots would have to take their chances on convincing him to come to New England," Ballentine wrote. "However, the Bengals have enough money to use the franchise tag on him. Last year, the Chiefs used the franchise tag on L'Jarius Sneed only to wind up trading him to the Tennessee Titans. This would be a virtually identical situation with the Bengals knowing the best way to get something in return for Higgins would be to tag and trade him."

Ballentine proposes that the Patriots send a second-round pick and a fifth-rounder to the Bengals in exchange for Higgins in this hypothetical deal.

"From there, the Patriots could ink him to an extension that might be cheaper than he would get on the open market," Ballentine added.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Higgins would agree to remain in New England for the long haul, so there is the possibility that the Pats could swing a trade for the 26-year-old and then lose him in free agency next year.

Heck, if Higgins outright says that he won't commit to the Patriots on a multi-year deal, they may not even attempt to complete a trade for the star pass-catcher.

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