Bengals WR Emerging as Trade Candidate for Patriots

Could the New England Patriots land this Cincinnati Bengals star before the NFL trade deadline?

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) and wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) celebrate the Chase touchdown in the second quarter of the NFL Week 5 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. The Bengals led 17-14 at halftime. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are in desperate need for playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, especially now with rookie quarterback Drake Maye taking snaps.

The Patriots have until the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline to acquire another piece, and David Latham of Last Word On Sports sees a potential option for them: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

"The Bengals are easily the most disappointing 1-4 team in the league, and their fall from grace could lead to one of the most shocking wide receiver trades of them all," Latham wrote. "The Bengals don’t have the money to bring back Tee Higgins in 2025, so if they can’t compete this year, they could trade him to a desperate New England Patriots team. New England needs another receiver and the promise of first-round pick Drake Maye could entice Higgins to sign a long-term deal before he reaches free agency."

Of course, the question then becomes whether or not New England would be better off waiting until Higgins hits free agency rather than trading valuable draft assets for him.

The counterargument to waiting is that Higgins may choose to bypass the Pats for a better option in March, but that same logic could be applied to the Patriots trading for him now.

Higgins could just as easily tell New England that he has no intention of re-signing. Or, he could keep his lips sealed and simply walk in free agency.

All of that being said, you never know until you try, and the Pats are in such dire need for weapons that it may afford them to take the risk.

Higgins has logged 18 catches for 182 yards and a couple of touchdowns in three games this season. He missed the first two games of the year due to injury.

The 25-year-old is in his fifth NFL season and already has a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns under his belt, having achieved them in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022.

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