The Mike Vrabel-led Patriots have made major strides in the 2025 offseason to improve a roster that produced a 4-13, 2024 record. He added solid, if not spectacular, NFL players to a dismal roster and created the distinct possibility of a 2025 playoff run.
Vrabel bolstered both sides of the ball. On defense, he added playmakers to each level, transforming a lackluster 2024 group into an attacking menace. The difference should be stark once the team takes the field against NFL opposition.
On offense, Vrabel also made a lot of improvements. He upgraded the O-line with two likely starters in free agency and also drafted three O-linemen, two of whom may also start. Additionally, he added two free agent receivers and drafted another. Yet, the need for another top receiver remains, and the way to get one is now through a trade.
Mike Vrabel should seek a trade for a No. 1 receiver
While the Patriots added Stefon Diggs in free agency to be their No. 1 wide receiver, his health status is still a bit questionable. In addition, you can never have too many top receivers on hand if you have a quarterback like Drake Maye who can get them the ball.
Washington’s Terry McLaurin has been touted as a possibility since he’s in a contract spat with the Commanders. He’d be a great No. 1 receiver.
Also, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has suggested players around the NFL who might be worth a first-round pick. One is a Bengals player the Patriots should consider if they can get him for a 2027 first-rounder and maybe a solid player in addition.
“One first-round pick: WR Tee Higgins, OT Amarius Mims, Edge Shemar Stewart. If Higgins was going to hit the trade market this spring, there would have been teams willing to deal for him while projecting that he could hit new heights as the true No. 1 wideout, which he hasn’t had the chance to be since Chase arrived in Cincinnati. Instead, on a four-year, $115 million deal, Higgins isn’t the same sort of bargain he was on his rookie deal, and there are teams that would be nervous about his run of ankle and hamstring issues over the past few years. At 26, there likely would be enough interest in him to justify a first-round pick as the return.”
The huge, 6’4″, 219-pound Tee Higgins was an off-season trade idea for many Patriots observers. Now, having signed a huge extension, he’s costly, but the Patriots have cap space at their disposal. Patriots. It’s a long shot, but if the Bengals feel they can get cash off the books, a first-round pick, and maybe a starter from the Patriots, who knows, they may be amenable to a deal.
Tee Higgins checks all the boxes for another top receiver
As Barnwell suggests, if the Bengals feel they are solid without Higgins at wide receiver, the lure of that first-rounder might bring them to the table. A 2027 first-round pick is not too high a price to pay for a receiver like Higgins. While he’s had trouble staying on the field, when healthy, he’s a 1000-yard receiver all day long. It’s an asset the Patriots haven’t seen since Julian Edelman, of 2019 vintage.
While not diminishing the importance of his injury problems, if you can get a young (26-year-old) No. 1 caliber wideout for a first-round pick in the 2027 draft, and maybe unload a player like Jahlani Tavai or Anfernee Jennings in the process, it’s a gamble worth taking.
Mike Vrabel has rebuilt the Patriots roster into a playoff contender over six months. It’s no mean feat. Yet, if he wants to take his offense to a whole new level, adding another top wideout to Diggs, Pop Douglas, Mack Hollins, and rookie Kyle Williams is a way to smooth the pavement to a playoff berth in his inaugural season in Foxborough. Whether it be McLaurin or Higgins, send a first-round pick and more. They’re both worth it and will help ticket the Patriots to the playoffs.
