The New England Patriots have their quarterback in Drake Maye and really need to find him some consistent, explosive weapons.
There’s capable pass-catchers in DeMario Douglas and Kendrick Bourne in New England, but the Patriots have not had a true No. 1 target for several years at this point. That needs to change in the near future to truly maximize Maye’s potential.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff tossed out his assessment of what the Patriots could do this offseason to finally address that need.
“Here’s an easy guess simply from reading the tea leaves: The Patriots are going to be all in on Tee Higgins,” Graff wrote. “They’ve shown an interest in established receivers, and Higgins is the best free agent. I expect them to offer him the moon. The question is whether he says yes or no.”
Higgins made sense for the Patriots when he entered the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson, and it makes even more sense now. He’s a No. 1 on most other teams when he’s not playing alongside a special talent such as Ja’Marr Chase. The Cincinnati Bengals wideout has 29 career touchdowns, found the end zone twice in Super Bowl LVI and posted a pair of 1,000-yard seasons so far in his career.
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Higgins takes the field for Monday Night Football to round out Week 14 when the Bengals visit the Dallas Cowboys. The Patriots return from their bye week to visit the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15.