Patriots Almost Signed Bengals WR Instead of Milton Williams

Depending on how January goes for the New England Patriots, one thing will need to be studied: how this team was assembled. 

The Pats reached 10 wins this week, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 26-20. The newest addition to the team's win streak was indeed a clunky one. The Pats battled back from a 10-point deficit early on but then suffered key injuries to rookie offensive lineman Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, putting fans on edge. 

Oddly enough, another injury on the field involved a Bengals player who, at one point, was in the conversation about joining Drake Maye up in Foxborough this fall. 

Wide receiver Tee Higgins, who suffered a concussion after a hard fall on Paycor Stadium’s turf, was once a focal point of free agency for the Patriots' front office back in the spring.

However, they turned their focus over to defensive tackle Milton Williams instead.

Rather than Tee Higgins, Milton Williams was a Key Focus for the Pats in Free Agency

Williams, who aided the Philadelphia Eagles in their 2024 Super Bowl win, came to the Patriots after being offered $3 million more a year than the Carolina Panthers, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Albert Breer. 

"Mike Vrabel uses this word a lot: pivot," Breer said on Patriots Pregame Live before New England played Higgins and the Bengals on Sunday. "The Patriots' pivot in this case was not to [Chris] Godwin or to [Stefon] Diggs; it was actually to Milton Williams. And with the money that they freed up — that they would have perhaps given to Tee Higgins — they went the extra mile to go get Milton Williams."