Potential Patriots Target Tee Higgins Might’ve Revealed Team Preference

Tee Higgins could be the belle of the ball this NFL offseason, but it doesn’t sound like he wants to go anywhere.

Higgins chose a great time to have one of the best seasons of his NFL career to date. Heading into the Bengals’ must-win Week 18 game, the star wide receiver has 69 catches for 858 yards with a career-best 10 touchdowns. Mind you, Higgins has those numbers despite missing five games.

So, it’s safe to assume Higgins will receive significant interest when he officially hits free agency in March. But when the 2020 second-round pick spoke with CBS’ Aditi Kinkhabwala last week, he sounded like someone who isn’t eager to change teams.

“I’m playing with if not the best, one of the best, quarterbacks,” Higgins told Kinkhabwala. “I’m playing with if not the best, one of the best, wide receivers. That opens up things for me. In this offense, everyone has a chance to be spotlighted.”

Higgins also told Kinkhabwala that being paid like a No. 1 wideout is “not necessarily” his primary focus this offseason. Furthermore, the CBS reporter pointed out how Higgins and fellow Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase share an agent, which theoretically could help Cincinnati’s effort to keep the duo intact.

But even if the Bengals aren’t able to retain Higgins, Patriots fans shouldn’t get their hopes up. Despite Drake Maye’s emergence, it’s tough to imagine Higgins will view New England as an appealing destination.