It appears the glimmer of hope Patriots fans still had for a potential signing of Bengals star receiver Tee Higgins may have just vanished.
According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, New England does not plan to pursue Higgins this offseason, as their focus will turn to improving both the offensive and defensive lines ahead of the 2025 season.
Before we get to the meat of the report, here’s my regular preamble on content from The Athletic:
With Graff’s story being behind The New York Times’ paywall, I don’t want to completely hand over all his excellent reporting for free. If you love the Patriots (and all the local teams, for that matter), a subscription to The Athletic is well-worth your while. Yes, this is me stumping for the cause of journalism - I will not apologize! I’m sure there’s a promo code out there for you!
Ok, back to the topic at hand.
Here’s part of what Graff had to say on Higgins in his latest report:
“New England’s blueprint for the offseason does not include pursuing Higgins, the No. 1 free agent-to-be on our top-150 big board. As the Patriots are reshaped in Mike Vrabel’s likeness, they want to prioritize building through the offensive and defensive lines and will make that goal No. 1 of this offseason (more on that below). So expect their biggest free-agent signings to come in the trenches — not at wide receiver.
“‘The game is always won on the lines — offensive line, defensive line,’ [Eliot] Wolf said Wednesday. ‘Not just because of the (Philadelphia Eagles in the) Super Bowl — it’s always been that way.’
“If the Patriots’ offseason goes as planned, their offensive and defensive lines will be dramatically transformed over the next two months.”
Graff went on to say some “decision-makers” around the NFL are skeptical Higgins is worth the massive price tag he’s reportedly in pursuit of - somewhere in the $30 million a year range, which would put him in the same ballpark as players like Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown.
With the Bengals reportedly planning to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Higgins, with plans to follow that up with a long term deal, the opportunity for New England to still be a player in the Higgins sweepstakes was already on thin ice. With Graff’s report from Thursday morning, it appears the new regime at 1 Patriot Place has different plans altogether.
Graff’s report runs in contrast to a column from The Washington Post earlier this month, where at least one GM told veteran NFL reporter Jason La Canfora that he was predicting the Patriots as the likely landing spot for Higgins in 2025.
“I think he’s going to New England,” the GM reportedly told La Canfora. “[Robert Kraft] took a lot of s*** for not spending any money, rightfully so, and I hear they really want this guy.”
Kraft might want him, but Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf told the assembled media at the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday that ultimately, he has the “final say” on roster decisions.
And it appears that “final say” has everything to do with improving play at the line of scrimmage.
Here’s more from Graff:
“A couple of names to monitor as the Patriots plan to make over their defensive line in free agency? Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, two members of that Eagles defensive line that dominated in the Super Bowl.
“Offensively, expect them to sign multiple starting offensive linemen, as they’re targeting a guard and a tackle.
“The bulk of their free-agent spending will likely come in those two areas.”
While the trenches are at the top of the to-do list for Wolf and Vrabel, the wide receiver room can’t be ignored. It was bad in 2024, and almost certainly will be bad again in 2025 unless new blood is brought in.
According to Graff, the Patriots will reportedly look for this upgrade in the trade market, floating names like 49ers Swiss Army knife Deebo Samuel and Rams wideout Cooper Kupp. Graff went on to say that the team is planning to make calls on other receivers as well, as they’ve determined the free agent/top-end of the draft crop of wideouts “isn’t great.”
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ offseason.