On Tuesday, veteran NFL reporter Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post had a nugget-of-interest in his “Six big predictions for the NFL offseason” column:
“[Joe] Burrow has front-office officials around the league chattering about the lengths he is going to make the case for the Bengals keeping free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins and free agent tight end Mike Gesicki while also extending the deals of wideout Ja’Marr Chase and pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. ‘We have the cap space to get it done,’ Burrow practically pleaded during his pre-Super Bowl media blitz. That, of course, doesn’t mean Bengals owner Mike Brown will spend big.
“‘Burrow is going to be pissed,’ a second GM predicted. “No way they are keeping more than two of those four.” Multiple executives I spoke with predicted Higgins will land at least $30 million per season. ‘I think he’s going to New England,’ the first GM said. Patriots owner Robert Kraft ‘took a lot of s--- for not spending any money, rightfully so, and I hear they really want this guy.’”
The last part of that nugget is truly what matters here for Patriots fans, but I wanted to include the full context behind the blurb, because I think it’s important to keep in mind when considering Higgins as a realistic target for the Patriots.
Just because Higgins has publicly said he wants to return to Cincinnati to play alongside his Pro Bowl teammates, doesn’t mean it’s actually financially possible. Unless, of course, the Bengals decide to adopt a different business model from the one they’ve been running with since 1968, where keeping the balance sheet in-check is more important than sustained success on the gridiron.
In December of last year, Higgins switched agents, going from David Mulugheta to Rocky Arceneaux. Fans and media alike saw this move from Higgins as a positive sign towards a Bengals reunion, as Arceneaux also represents Chase. But with Chase coming off a historic season, becoming only the fifth wide receiver in the modern era to win the “triple crown” at his position, Areceneaux and Chase’s team have made clear that the 24-year-old from LSU is in pursuit of a brand new, record-setting contract.
With the Bengals picking up his fifth-year rookie option, Chase is set to earn $21.816 million in 2025. But with Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson recently signing a deal that pays him $35 million a year, Chase will be looking to match-or-best that number with his new deal.
How realistic is it to expect Arceneaux to negotiate two new wide receiver contracts this offseason with the Bengals where both players would be making in the range of $30 million a season? History tells us it’s highly unlikely, and that Arecenaux will most likely only eclipse that $30 million-threshold for one of his clients in Cincinnati. And if it’s going to be one of them, wouldn’t it be the guy that just had one of the best individual seasons at his position in league history?
And to be clear - the Patriots can afford Higgins, as they currently have the most cap space in the NFL with a reported $123 million to spend.
This means the sweepstakes for Higgins’ services around the league should be lively, and New England should be one of the teams in the mix for the 26-year-old.
La Canfora’s report brings me back to a portion of this year’s Pro Bowl broadcast, where a conversation about the prospect of the Patriots pursuing Higgins came up while Drake Maye was on the field.
On his second possession under center, Maye found Chase in single coverage on a skinny post to the front right pylon for a 30-yard touchdown to make it a 48-31 game with 6:49 to go in the third quarter.
But that’s not the noteworthy part of this play.
“I’d love to see the Patriots bring somebody in that looks like Ja’Marr Chase for Drake Maye,” said ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky before diagramming the touchdown toss.
“New England - sign someone like Ja’Marr Chase!” Orlovsky exclaimed.
“Well, there’s a guy [Chase] played with in Cincinnati that every single team that needs a receiver thinks might come play for them,” said ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, talking, of course, about Higgins.
“Tee Higgins next year’s gonna play for the Patriots, the Commanders, the Chargers, everybody,” Orlovsky joked, as Higgins is unequivocally the top free agent wideout on the market.
“Everybody wants him,” said Van Pelt. “Only so much money to go around in Cincinnati, and Chase is gonna get a ton.”
Through five seasons with the Bengals, Higgins has amassed 4,595 receiving yards, 34 touchdowns, and 330 catches on 512 targets. He’s averaging 13.9 yards per catch, and has only lost 3 fumbles in 70 career games. At 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, Higgins has elite size and speed, and would be a No. 1 option on any other team if not for playing alongside a generational talent in Chase.
Higgins’ bonafides are in stark contrast to the current state of the Patriots wide receiver room, which is among the least accomplished groups in the NFL. This group did Maye no favors during his rookie season, routinely struggling to find separation to allow the UNC-product to fully show off his arm talent.
Handing Maye and the Patriots’ offense a weapon like Higgins would immediately raise the ceiling for what this team could be in 2025.