Patriots' Robert Kraft May Be Forced To Cross a $30 Million Threshold To Save Face

According to an ESPN article published in January 2024, New England ranked last in cash spending ($1.62 billion) over the last 10 years. The notoriously tight-fisted Belichick had a hand in keeping costs down, but it’s ultimately Kraft’s team.

Unfortunately for the 82-year-old owner, he seems poised to pay a historic price to not only upgrade arguably the worst receiver room in the league but also take some heat off him as the first year of the Mike Vrabel era gets underway.

An NFL general manager told NFL Insider Jason La Canfora that Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins is “going to New England.” The talented pass catcher will command a top-of-the-market deal as the clear-cut best option at the position.

"Multiple executives I spoke with predicted Higgins will land at least $30 million per season," La Canfora wrote in The Washington Post.  

Ordinarily, that price tag would seem to preclude the Patriots from being in play. 

However, Kraft's decade-long frugality — and the warranted criticism he has received from disgruntled fans — could force him to break the mold and pay up to secure Higgins' services.

As La Canfora's source put it, Kraft "took a lot of s--- for not spending any money, rightfully so, and I hear they want this guy." 

Between their razor-thin depth chart and abundance of cap space (around $123 million), there’s no reason the Patriots shouldn’t be the odds-on favorite to poach one of Joe Burrow’s trusted targets. Kraft can’t afford to be cheap this offseason, especially after New England largely passed on free agency a year ago.

Will signing Higgins to a mega deal suddenly solve all of the team’s offensive woes?

Of course not.

New England must prioritize the offensive line to keep Drake Maye out of harm’s way. But after whiffing on so many draft picks and failing to get much out of veterans, too, the Patriots can’t afford to let another offseason go by without securing a legitimate No. 1 wideout.

The only question is: How much is Robert Kraft willing to spend to save face and his franchise from falling further?