It was no secret that the New England Patriots desperately wanted to pursue Tee Higgins in free agency this offseason, but their dreams appeared to be crushed when the Cincinnati Bengals slapped a franchise tag on him.
But is that door reopening for the Patriots?
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that this move by the Bengals doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Higgins will play for them in 2025, noting that a tag-and-trade is a possibility.
“There are people across the league who believe that this could wind up being a tag-and-trade,” Schefter said. “Now we don’t know whether that will happen. But I can tell you that there are people around the league who believe a tag-and-trade is possible here with Tee Higgins despite the fact that the Bengals have said their intent is to sign him to a long-term deal.”
Many have wondered just how Cincinnati is going to fit both Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase — whom the Bengals have yet to extend — into their budget.
Should Cincinnati place Higgins on the trade block, you would have to think that the Patriots would be one of the first teams to call, but there is a caveat here: does Higgins really want to play in New England?
Remember: in this tag-and-trade scenario, Higgins would essentially be on a one-year deal, and the Pats would have to hammer out a contract extension with him. What if Higgins says he has no intention of signing a long-term pact with the Patriots? Then what?
There are obviously still plenty of hoops for New England to jump through in order for it to make this happen, but the fact that there still may be a chance is definitely good news.
Higgins caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns this past season.
