On Sunday night, news broke that the Bengals had agreed to new deals with both of their star receivers - All-World wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Patriots target Tee Higgins.
According to Jordan Shultz of FOX Sports, Chase gets a new four-year deal worth $161 million, with $112 million guaranteed. This makes him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.
Shultz also reported on Higgins’ new deal, as the 26-year-old gets a four-year, $115 million contract with the first two years of his deal guaranteed. According to Shultz, this makes Higgins the highest paid “WR2” in NFL history.
When news came down earlier this offseason that the Bengals were planning to franchise tag Higgins with the intention of getting a new deal done, that was, in essence, the beginning of the end of the dream for Patriots fans hoping the team could acquire the 6-foot-4 Clemson-product this offseason.
With this news coming down Sunday night, it’s the nail in the coffin.
Chase becomes the latest example of a big name wide receiver on the Patriots’ radar becoming unavailable for the franchise to add, as 22-year-old quarterback Drake Maye looks more and more like the Fresh Prince meme by the day as big name wideouts continue falling off the board:
- Cooper Kupp signed a three-year deal with the Seahawks worth $45 million
- Davante Adams signed a two-year deal with the Rams worth $46 million
- DK Metcalf was traded to the Steelers for a second-round pick, and was given a new $150 million deal by Pittsburgh
- Chris Godwin reportedly left money on the table from New England to re-sign with the Buccaneers, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $66 million
- Deebo Samuel was traded to the Commanders for a fifth-round pick
At the time of publishing, New England’s only addition to the wide receiver room this offseason has been career-depth receiver Mack Hollins, who is better known for his quirky off-the-field personality than he is for his play on it.
And with a wide receiver market in free agency that is dwindling by the day, you have to wonder if the Patriots believe their No. 4 pick in April’s draft will be the answer Patriots fans are looking for at wideout.
“I was whispered to that if [Travis Hunter] is available, somebody wants to take the player,” WEEI’s Greg Hill said this morning on The Greg Hill Show, implying that “somebody” is someone within the Patriots organization who would be pushing to pick the Heisman Trophy-winning two-way star from Colorado.
If Hunter is indeed available at No. 4, and we are to believe reporting from MassLive during the NFL Scouting Combine that he is atop the Patriots’ draft boards at both wide receiver and cornerback, then logic would tell you that the 21-year-old will be headed to New England for an introductory press conference on April 25, and he’ll be a factor in Josh McDaniels’ new-look Patriots offense for the 2025 season.
But how much of a factor will he be, given the responsibilities he will inevitably have on the other side of the football? Would Hunter alone be enough for Patriots fans to feel better about what this franchise is handing Maye to work with for his sophomore season?
If your answer to that second question is “no,” then you better hope executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf is putting together a trade package for a young wide receiver with upside.
Because as it stands at the moment, its slim pickings on the free agent market for pass catchers.
Here’s a list of the top remaining free agent wide receivers available for the Patriots to sign:
- Nelson Agholor, Baltimore Ravens (31 years old)
- Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears (32 years old)
- Odell Beckham, Miami Dolphins (32 years old)
- Tyler Boyd, Tennessee Titans (30 years old)
- DeAndre Carter, Chicago Bears (31 years old)
- D.J. Chark, Los Angeles Chargers (28 years old)
- Chris Conley, San Francisco 49ers (32 years old)
- Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys (31 years old)
- Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills (30 years old)
- Jamison Crowder, Washington Commanders (31 years old)
- Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans (31 years old)
- Devin Duvernay, Jacksonville Jaguars (27 years old)
- Michael Gallup, Las Vegas Raiders (29 years old, was retired in 2024)
- Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs (27 years old)
- Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Denver Broncos (26 years old)
- Diontae Johnson, Baltimore Ravens (28 years old)
- Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (32 years old)
- Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns (24 years old)
- Rondale Moore, Atlanta Falcons (24 years old)
- Gunner Olszewski, New York Giants (28 years old)
- Zach Pascal, Arizona Cardinals (30 years old)
- Brandon Powell, Minnesota Vikings (29 years old)
- Josh Reynolds, Jacksonville Jaguars (30 years old)
- Allen Robinson, Detroit Lions (31 years old)
- Steven Sims, Baltimore Ravens (27 years old)
- Robert Woods, Houston Texans (32 years old)
Outside of a few “name” guys, it’s not a very impressive list. A lot of guys past their prime, and a lot of guys who have surely been available on your fantasy football waiver wire in recent years.
Here’s what head coach Mike Vrabel had to say about the dwindling market at receiver during the team’s free agency press conference on Thursday:
“We'll continue to look at the wide receiver position as it relates to free agency, explore every option with other teams, and potentially then we'll get to the point where we're looking at the draft. There's just a lot of time, and I know that everybody is like, ‘It's over in free agency.’ It's never over. And [Patriots personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith] keeps reminding me and everybody else of that, because he's been around a lot of times.
“He's like, ‘There's players that are going to become available, whether it be now or whether it be in May or after training camp.’ He's like, ‘I've seen it enough to know that there's going to be someone that's currently not on our roster that's going to help us win a game this year. He's just not in Foxborough.’”
As the old saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s No. 1 receiver.”
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