The Patriots’ top NFL free agency targets heading into the 2025 offseason

Oh, what a difference week can make for the New England Patriots.

After watching fans get excited about you know what’s going on with potentially winning the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and controlling the board for the next four months, that dream has been largely dashed, with Jarrod Mayo and Joe Milton orchestrating one of the greatest wins and losses in franchise history.

Travis Hunter in a Pats jersey? Gone: Unless he’s 4.5, he’ll be off the roster after pick 4. Secure a bunch of first overall picks from a KB-needy team like the Las Vegas Raiders? No, while it would be fun to make a trade with Tom Brady’s new team, that dream seems to have come true.

No, at best, it looks like the Pats will have a very good but not true blueliner at the top of the draft and will have to adjust their plans accordingly, with four players needing to grade high enough to warrant a first overall pick .

And the worst part? With fans not even knowing who will be coaching the Patriots this fall, it’s hard to even predict which players fit the X’s system until that projection leaves the realm of hypotheticals and becomes official.

Yes, it’s not the best time to be a Patriots fan, and yet, we know that New England has an incredible amount of cap space, a franchise quarterback, and perhaps another top signal-caller that the team could trade high if they decide to take advantage of the insane hype cycle that will only continue to grow. Considering the tentative, pre-combined value of players in the draft world and the strength of this year’s free agent class, it’s not hard to see the Patriots getting better at positions of need quickly if they play their cards — read: use their money and draft picks — right.

Priority number 1: sign Tee Higgins.

1. The Patriots need a major upgrade on VR1

Now, as you may or may not know, Elliot Wolff is a huge fan of Tee Higgins.

The Pats were reportedly in talks to trade for the Bengals wide receiver earlier this year, in addition to players like Brandon Aiyuk, and while no move was ultimately made at wide receiver, it’s clear the position remains a priority to this day.

Why? Because the Patriots wide receivers absolutely stink.

Of course, that’s a generalization that might make some fans — and the players in question — cringe, but given how well Maye played as a rookie, the fact that New England didn’t have a single receiver — wide receiver or tight end the other way – who finished with more than 700 yards is a real indictment of the player that Wolff is compiled for his young quarterback.

Demario Douglas? A quality slot in the spirit of the Patriots of yesteryear. Kaishon Boutte? A good wide receiver on an above average team. Factor in Hayden Hurst as a veteran, and the Patriots have a decent core just looking for a star. Unfortunately, unless Ja’Lynn Polk or Javon Baker take a big step forward in 2025 – which is incredibly unlikely, considering they’re together 99 yards on 13 receptions in 26 combined gamesthat probably won’t happen.

No, what the Patriots need is a proven veteran at wide receiver who can make Maye’s life easier and move everyone down the proverbial pecking order, and that’s Higgins to a T, since he plays a field-friendly odds.

2. Tee Higgins could make Drake Maialife easier

Look, playing quarterback is hard enough in the NFL, especially as the third overall pick coming out of the ACC without, say, an elite offensive ecosystem to smooth the transition. The windows are small; every opposing player was a “guy” on their college team, and the ability to get open players is reserved for only the best of the best offensive linemen, who can only get their team’s get-out-of-jailbreak scenario a few times per game.

How can the team facilitate this? Well, by adding a veteran receiver with an elite wingspan, good speed and expert body control who can be a threat in the vertical passing game, horizontal passing game and in the red zone. It worked for Jalen Hurts with AJ Brown, for Joe Burrow with Ja’Marr Chase, and it could happen again in New England if the Patriots can steal Cincinnati’s VR2 in free agency.

Standing 6-foot-4, 219 pounds with a 95th percentile wingspan Higgins is the rare top-30 wide receiver who could really test free agency in his prime, with the pride of Clemson only turning 26 later this month. He’s been targeted at least 100 times in all but one of his pro seasons — 2023 was a down year due to a hamstring injury — he’s posted at least 900 yards and six touchdowns in those four seasons and is currently averaging 65.6 yards per game with by his yards per catch that he records in a a very respectable 13.8 over 70 career games.

Sure, some of Higgins’ production may have come from being the VR2 next to Chase, but it could be argued that he was never given a chance to reach his potential as he too was constantly overshadowed by the LSU connection, with the potential to explode if given the chance. provide a focal point in the attack, instead of a complementary player.

Considering the talent available in the draft and free agency at the positions the Patriots need most, locking up Higgins a month before the draft would guarantee New England would get its VR1 and be positioned to address other positions of need in the draft.

3. Tee Higgins and Will Campbell is a winning combination for the Patriots

While Higgins is a potential Pro Bowler, he’ll also be expensive, and his next contract will likely start at one before another eight-figure hit follows him. Granted, locking up that caliber of player might be worth the sticker shock, but why spend what could likely land the team four starters at the minimum when they could have drafted a player like Arizona’s Tetairo McMillan at pick four?

Is McMillan a big prospect? Yes. Could he end up being a better player than Higgins in the long run? Potentially so. But is Higgins and LSU’s Will Campbell, the top left tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft who should be able to start right away, better than McMillan and, say, Cam Robinson, the top tackle on the free agent market?

No.

Considering the draft has three players fighting for the top 3 spots in Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, the Patriots really have their pick in the litter after that pick, with an elite matchup in either Campbell or Kelvin Banks Jr. guaranteed to be there in pick four.

With left tackle one of the toughest positions to draft outside of the first round, why not get a top wide receiver in the draft, count on landing a new left tackle in free agency and use the rest of the team’s resources to fill out the depth chart with BPA, whether it be to a free agent quarterback, a schematically relevant linebacker, or even more one crack at wide receiver, assuming he’s good on the board when the Pats pick on Day 2 or early Day 3. If the Pats simply start the summer with a true VR1 and a starting-caliber left tackle, their offense should improve by leaps and bounds.