On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated’s James Rapien reported that the Bengals are planning to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins.
If Higgins does end up playing on the tag in Cincinnati, it would guarantee him $26.18 million in 2025 - the average of the five highest salaries from last season among wide receivers.
But with this tag being the “non-exclusive” version of this contract mechanism, it means other teams could still offer him a deal that Cincinnati could either match or let him walk in exchange for first-round draft picks.
And while this would be the second consecutive season the 26-year-old would play under the tag, Rapien reports that the Bengals intend to get a “long-term deal” done with Higgins after tagging him.
This bit of news is a huge blow for the Patriots, as The Washington Post reported last Tuesday that at least one NFL GM was predicting New England as the landing spot for the top free agent on the market this offseason.
While there’s still a slight chance New England does what it takes to get a deal done for Higgins, it would be a longshot given what the price tag - both contractually and draft pick-wise - would be.
So now what?
Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston joined Jones & Keefe on Wednesday to discuss a possible pivot plan for the Patriots at receiver.
“For the Patriots purposes, circuiting through the Raiders, I wonder about the Josh McDaniels-Davante Adams relationship, and whether or not when Davante Adams is released, there is an ability to convince him to come here for the money they’re not gonna spend on Tee Higgins,” said Curran.
“Two years, $65 million. Come on in here, guaranteed. Come on in, Davante. Would you do it?”
“I would be very interested in that,” said WEEI’s Adam Jones. “Maybe they can talk their way through those issues. Money solves a lot of problems, as we’ve seen.
“[Rich] Keefe has made this point - DeAndre Hopkins and Bill O’Brien mended fences enough a few years ago where at least Hopkins came in for a visit, which we were skeptical of. So maybe that’s an option on the table.”
Adams’ rocky relationship with New England’s newly hired offensive coordinator - in his third stint in this role for the franchise - stems back from their time together with the Raiders.
Both the All-Pro wide receiver and the now-former Raiders head coach arrived in Vegas ahead of the 2022 season with a lot of buzz. Coming off a surprising playoff appearance in 2021, the franchise was reuniting a future Hall of Fame receiver with his college quarterback in Derek Carr, and were adding a new head coach with a fist-full of Super Bowl rings from his first two stints as an assistant coach/coordinator in New England.
But after a 6-11 season in 2022, questions began to arise surrounding McDaniels’ ability to command a locker room as a head coach. For a team to regress as much as it did under McDaniels in his first season, the heat was on heading into his second season at the helm.
Things didn’t get any better for McDaniels in year two, and the head coach was fired after starting the 2023 season 3-5. On top of the losing, multiple media reports at the time suggested McDaniels had completely lost the Vegas locker room, and trade rumors surrounding Adams began to surface in a big way.
Those rumors eventually led to a trade, with Adams being shipped to New York in the middle of 2024 for yet another QB reunion. And while his time with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t lead to a lot of winning this past season, there were plenty of flashes of brilliance to show that the 32-year-old still has gas left in the tank.
Through 11 seasons with the Packers, Raiders and Jets, Adams has amassed 11,844 receiving yards, 957 receptions and 103 touchdowns. He’s a three-time First-team All-Pro selection, six-time Pro Bowler, and has led the NFL in receiving touchdowns twice.
In 14 games last season between New York and Vegas, Adams hauled in 85 balls for 1,063 yards and 8 touchdowns. Averaging 12.5 yards per catch and with a 71-yard touchdown on his 2024 resume, the Fresno State-product showed that big-play-potential was still in his repertoire despite playing in two of the least explosive offenses in the league.
That exact skillset is something the Patriots lacked in a major way last season. If Adams were added to New England’s receiver room for 2025, he would immediately become the best player Drake Maye has ever had the opportunity to throw the ball to.
Imagine Maye chucking it downfield for Adams instead of players like Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas? Both those players are better suited for different roles in the passing game - Boutte as a No. 2, and Douglas in the slot - and adding Adams would raise their ceilings in 2025.
Whether Curran’s mention of Adams is informed speculation or the latest example of offseason fantasy football, it’s an intriguing name to throw in the mix as the Patriots figure out the best way to spend their league-leading $123 million in cap space.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ offseason.