The New England Patriots entered the offseason with glaring needs at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

With some of the top options coming off the board before the start of NFL free agency, the Patriots are reportedly now pivoting to an aggressive pursuit of a new option.

Tee Higgins was believed to be New England’s top priority when the offseason began but he received the franchise tag from the Cincinnati Bengals. With Higgins off the board, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and guard Trey Smith became the team’s primary free-agent targets.

Both are now off the market, with Stanley signing a new deal with the Baltimore Ravens and Smith being tagged by the Kansas City Chiefs.

It’s a significant blow for a team with more than $100 million in cap space with ambitions of adding a premium starter off the open market.

With Higgins, Smith and Stanley now off the table, New England is reportedly focusing its efforts on a new addition to support Drake Maye.

According to Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal, the Patriots are “expected to be the driver” in the free-agent market for wide receiver Chris Godwin.

Poaching him from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will come at an extraordinary cost, though.

Tampa Bay is adamant about keeping its star No. 2 receiver. A second-team All-Pro selection in 2019, Godwin has been with the Buccaneers since being selected with the 84th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

He played the Cooper Kupp role in Tampa Bay’s offense this past season, setting career-highs in receptions per game (7.1) and receiving yards per game (82.3) before suffering a season-ending injury.

Chris Godwin stats: 50 receptions, 576 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns in seven games

If New England wants to land Godwin, it will reportedly require a multi-year deal worth $25-plus million annually. A bidding war could potentially push his deal above the AAV that Mike Evans received last offseason ($52 million over two years).

While Tampa Bay is adamant about keeping Godwin, the Patriots’ cap space could make them the new betting favorites to land him.