Insider Drops Discouraging News for Patriots' Top WR Pursuit

The New England Patriots may end up disappointed in their pursuit of a top wide receiver during the NFL offseason.
Jan 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) catches a pass in front of Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) and safety DeShon Elliott (25) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Jan 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) catches a pass in front of Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) and safety DeShon Elliott (25) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
In this story:

The New England Patriots are absolutely going to be on the hunt for a No. 1 receiver this offseason, as they have probably the worst receiving corps in football.

Tee Higgins is widely viewed as the Patriots' top target, as he will be the best wide out on the free-agent market, and New England has the cap room to sign him. But will Higgins actually want to join the Pats?

That may be the biggest question, and Phil Perry of NBC Sports doesn't seem too confident in the chances of Higgins taking his talents to Foxborough.

"There's a possibility," Perry said. "We talked about it on the podcast; I put it at a 4 out of 10 [that Higgins could join the Patriots]."

Those don't seem like great odds, and if Higgins ultimately spurns New England, the Pats won't exactly have a ton of options remaining in free agency. There still appears to be a possibility that Higgins will re-sign with the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Bengals could slap a franchise tag on him, too.

Higgins is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. He entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Bengals in 2020 and posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2021 and 2022.

If the Patriots are unable to bag Higgins, it increases the likelihood of them making a trade for a top-flight receiver like D.K. Metcalf, who could be dealt in the coming months.

There is a whole lot of pressure on New England to make something happen in the wide receiver department this offseason, as Drake Maye desperately needs more weapons at his disposal.

Remember: last year, the Pats struck out completely when it came to addressing that major need.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!


Published
Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.