Patriots get bad news about key free agent right before the franchise tag window opens
The New England Patriots need to make a lot of changes to the roster this offseason. And there are a few key free agents that everyone has their eyes on, one of which is Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. However, Sports Illustrated's James Rapien reports that the Bengals are expected to use the franchise tag […]
The New England Patriots need to make a lot of changes to the roster this offseason.
And there are a few key free agents that everyone has their eyes on, one of which is Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.
However, Sports Illustrated's James Rapien reports that the Bengals are expected to use the franchise tag on Higgins, with the window set to open on Tuesday, Feb 18 at 4 p.m. ET.
The window will close on Tuesday, March 4 at 4 p.m. ET.
Rapien added that the Bengals plan to sign Higgins to a long-term deal before the window closes.
Higgins finished the 2024 season with 73 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He is one of Burrow's favorite targets, so it makes sense why the Bengals want to keep him around. However, last season they used the tag on him, but couldn't reach a long-term deal.
But, it seems this year is different.
As for the Patriots, they have a league-leading $120 million in cap space and are expected to use it to build a solid roster around quarterback Drake Maye.
However, they are going to have to look elsewhere since Higgins is now not expected to hit the market.
