While the rebuild hasn't quite gotten off the ground for the New England Patriots, there are certainly pieces in place, like rookie quarterback Drake Maye. For the 22-year-old to reach his potential, the Pats' wide receiver depth chart needs a lot of work.

One free agent receiver already linked to New England is Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals, per Chad Graff of The Athletic.

"Here's an easy guess (on how to improve the wide receiver position) simply from reading the tea leaves: The Patriots are going to be all in on Tee Higgins. 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."

Cincy tagged Higgins, and he earned a 2024 salary of $21.8 million. Spotrac projects the 25-year-old pass catcher will garner a three-year, $66.7 million contract for an annual average value of $22.2 million.

Such an AAV would place him just below Stefon Diggs ($22.5 million) as the 19th highest-paid receiver. However, considering the premium placed on the position in recent years, it's possible he could get even more.

Over his five seasons, Higgins has 300 receptions for 4,242 yards and 29 touchdowns. The Bengals' second-round choice in the 2020 NFL Draft missed five games in 2023 due to a hamstring injury. Higgins dealt with the same injury at the start of the 2024 season, missing Cincinnati's first two games.

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