Tee Higgins is the Perfect Target for WR Needy Patriots Amid NFL Trade Rumors

Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals are nearing a divorce following the wide receiver's request for a trade Monday, reported ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The request comes on the heels of mounting frustration from the player over the team's failure to negotiate a long-term deal and the subsequent franchise tag the Bengals slapped on him earlier this offseason.

Assuming Higgins gets his way, there is one team that should explore the possibility of acquiring him: the wide receiver-needy New England Patriots.

The Pats are in rebuild mode following the exit of future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick and the hiring of Jerrod Mayo as his successor. The organization will likely target a quarterback in May's NFL Draft but as it currently stands, will need to surround whichever young signal-caller it decides on with playmakers.

Schefter reported that the team notified Davante Parker of his impending release when the league year officially opens for business, and the Boston Herald's Doug Kyed and Andrew Callahan reported JuJu Smith-Schuster is also on his way out of town.

That leaves the team with one legitimate receiver on the roster in Kendrick Bourne, who agreed to re-sign for three years, $33 million Monday.

Higgins would instantaneously improve the wide receiver room in New England, bringing an explosive and physical style of play to a team that has not had a player of his quality at the position since Julian Edelman.

He missed five games due to injury in 2023 and still managed to compile 656 yards and five touchdowns for a Bengals team that also employs Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd, and was without former Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow, who played in only 10 games.

Those 656 yards are more than any receiver on the Patriots roster had a year ago, and only tight end Hunter Henry had more touchdowns than Higgins with six.

Before that, Higgins amassed two 1,000-yard seasons and barely missed another in his rookie season.

He has 24 touchdowns in four seasons and has shined on the grandest stage known to football, the Super Bowl, where he opened the second half against the Los Angeles Rams with a 75-yard touchdown.

Higgins has long looked the part of a No. 1 receiver in the league but the plethora of options in Cincinnati limited his production. That would not be the case in New England, where a young quarterback would likely fixate on him and give him the opportunities to be the playmaker he can be.

We saw with Mac Jones the effect of not having legitimate skill players in his short run with the Patriots. He was doomed from the start by the team's unwillingness to surround him with the weapons needed to grow and evolve.

The team can ensure that history does not repeat itself by going and making a deal for Higgins, then signing him to the long-term deal he wanted from the Bengals. With an estimated $70 million in cap space according to Spotrac, it is a move the team can afford and should execute as it attempts to climb out of the league basement for the first time in two decades.

The alternative is to draft a quarterback, let him roll with whatever receiver room the team can piece together, and hope for the best. At the same time, Higgins finds a new home with another organization and potentially shoves it in the Patriots' faces for years to come.