The Missing Piece: Why Patriots Need to Trade For this Star

Heading into the NFL trade deadline that is a week from now, the New England Patriots are expected to be sellers. They have already traded Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs in a deal on Monday.

While they are expected to mostly sell, the Patriots should aggressively pursue being a buyer when it comes to one specific player.

Looking ahead to the future, there is one position that New England has to add talent to. That position is wide receiver, where the Patriots have struggled to produce consistently throughout the season so far.

Ahead of the trade deadline, the front office should look to be a buyer for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

There is no guarantee that Higgins will be available. However, the Bengals are just 3-5 and Higgins has played good football. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, they have been unable to have positive traction in contract extension talks with him and he’s expected to leave town during the offseason.

Trading him now could get the Bengals top value for him on the market. New England should be willing to pay up to get him.

Drake Maye looks to be the real deal for the Patriots. The No. 3 overall pick and rookie quarterback needs a true No. 1 target still though and Higgins would be able to immediately be that guy.

So far during the 2024 NFL season in five games, Higgins has caught 29 passes for 341 yarsd and three touchdowns. His production, along with only being 25 years old, makes him a prime target for New England.

More than likely, it would take a second-round pick or a third-rounder in order to acquire Higgins. That is a price that would more than make sense for the Patriots. It would be very difficult to get a wide receiver as valuable as Higgins with one of those picks.

Right away, the presence of Higgins would elevate the New England offense to another level. He would instantly be the Patriots’ No. 1 wide receiver and would become Maye’s favorite target right off the bat as well. Making a move for him would be a no-brainer trade.

Of course, it would all depend on the Bengals’ willingness to move him now. If they are open to the idea, New England should make a bold attempt to trade for him and then sign him to a long-term extension within the next week.