Patriots have reportedly ‘looked into’ trading for a top receiver

Entering this offseason with over $100 million in cap space, the Patriots were in prime position to inject plenty of talent into a woeful offense that averaged just 13.9 points per game last season. 

But New England’s efforts to add more playmakers for the 2024 campaign haven’t yielded strong returns — at least through the first week-plus of free agency.

After coming up short in the free agency sweepstakes for Calvin Ridley last week, New England’s lone addition to their receiving corps has been former Vikings pass-catcher K.J. Osborn.

The Patriots still sit atop the NFL with $50 million in remaining cap space this offseason (per Over The Cap), but their options at receiver are dwindling out on the open market. 

However, New England does have other avenues available to add a No. 1 pass-catcher to its roster — be it in the 2024 NFL Draft or through a blockbuster trade.

And based on a report from Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network, the Patriots plan on leaving no stone unturned in search of a game-changing wideout. 

Citing a league source, Caplan reported that the Patriots have “looked into the trade market” for veteran receivers.

Bengals wideout Tee Higgins has routinely been mentioned as a possible trade target for New England this offseason.

Cincinnati opted to use its franchise tag on Higgins, tendering him a one-year offer of approximately $21.8 million. But the Bengals, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, have not engaged in new talks about a potential long-term deal with Higgins — with Higgins reportedly requesting a trade as a result of those stalled contract discussions. 

Higgins, 25, has averaged 921 yards and six touchdowns over his four-year NFL career. The 6-foot-4 receiver could give New England a much-needed deep threat, with Higgins posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Last week, ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes noted that a team like the Patriots would make plenty of sense as a viable suitor for Higgins’ services. 

“I would look at teams who are maybe either picking near the end of the first round, [or the] beginning of the second,” Kimes said in an “NFL Live” segment last week. “Two teams that I really like in that regard are New England and Carolina.

“Both teams with young quarterbacks — assuming New England spends that first pick on a rookie quarterback — who would be helped by having Tee Higgins as their number one wide receiver,” Kimes added. “[They are] teams that could draft a wide receiver with those picks, but I feel like because of the age of the quarterbacks and the build of the roster, and the fact that they both have cap space, they make sense as destinations for a receiver who has already proved that he can be a number one in the NFL.”