The Patriots badly need to improve their wide receiver group, but New England might not receive a chance to acquire the pass-catcher who was set to hit the open market.

All signs point to the Bengals placing their franchise tag on Tee Higgins. By doing so, Cincinnati would delay Higgins’ foray into free agency by at least one year and give itself more runway to reach an extension with the star pass-catcher.

That is obviously bad news for the Patriots, who wouldn’t be able to find a similarly talented wideout in free agency. There also isn’t a receiver in the 2025 draft class who’s worthy of New England’s No. 4 overall pick. With those factors in mind, The Athletic’s Chad Graff projected how Mike Vrabel and company would move forward if Higgins never becomes truly available.

“My early guess (with more reporting hopefully to come soon) is that the Pats will aggressively pursue a trade,” Graff wrote in a column published Monday. “That could be as ambitious as calling New Orleans about Chris Olave or Seattle about DK Metcalf. Or it might have to be settling for a deal with the Los Angeles Rams for Cooper Kupp.”

A trade for a higher-level wideout probably would be the best course of action for the Patriots if Higgins stays in Cincinnati. New England definitely shouldn’t overpay for impending free agents like Stefon Diggs or Amari Cooper, as there still are plenty of other needs to address in Foxboro, Mass.

The “aggressive” approach Graff anticipated probably is prudent, too, as New England can’t afford to surround Drake Maye with a mediocre supporting cast in his sophomore season.