Insider Updates Patriots' Tee Higgins Pursuit

Since his contract troubles were reported with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tee Higgins has long been connected to the New England Patriots as one of the team's major targets for this offseason.

One of the league's top receiving talents, Higgins drew significant attention as a name to watch as a Patriots offseason acquisition, largely due to New England's extensive cap space to pay the star pass catcher, along with their long-spanning desire to bring a number-one receiver into the building.

However, chatter came to a halt when it was revealed the Bengals intended to franchise tag Higgins, taking him off the free agent radar for interested teams across the league as Cincinnati plans to hammer out a long-term deal for their star receiver.

New England's hopes of landing their number-one receiver got significantly bleaker, but it seems they're not totally giving up on the idea either.

According to the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed, the Bengals aren't expected to let Higgins become available, but if a last-minute change occurs, expect the Patriots to be at the front of the line.

"The Patriots planned to pursue Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins until it was reported last week the Bengals are expected to retain him via the franchise tag for a second straight year. League sources universally do not see Higgins as being available right now. But if the Bengals pivot at the last minute, one agent offered at the combine: 'Everyone in the league knows (the Patriots) want Tee," Callahan and Kyed wrote. "The Patriots prefer signing Higgins or Godwin over a trade for another No. 1 receiver for the simple fact they would rather sign someone into their $127.7 million worth of cap space instead of surrendering draft capital in a deal and significant cap space."

Higgins is a natural fit for New England as a primary target for Drake Maye and a potential foundational piece of the Patriots' offensive future. However, the chances of seeing the concept come to fruition seem pretty slim at this point.

Higgins is coming off another impressive campaign with the Bengals, posting 911 yards on 73 catches and 10 touchdowns, all within only 12 games on the field. Cincinnati is extremely strapped for cash amid their recent contract paid to Joe Burrow and their upcoming deals ahead for Ja'Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson, but they seemingly seem motivated to get all four on board for 2025.

As for the Patriots, they'll be forced to look elsewhere for their wide receiver concerns. With the most cap space available in the entire NFL and aggressive front office and staff leading the charge, New England feels primed to see some upgrades at the position heading into the coming season, but it remains to be seen how the landscape exactly shakes out.

The Patriots will get their pitches kicked off for free agents across the league once the window for negotiations officially opens up on March 10th at noon ET.