Tee Higgins: Focused on Health and Success with the Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins made it clear from the start: he’s not considering the possibility of not being healthy. After signing an expected contract extension to secure his position in Cincinnati, Higgins expressed his intentions for the upcoming season in a forceful manner.Last season, Higgins battled multiple injuries. He missed the first two games with a hamstring issue and three games mid-season with a quadriceps injury. In 2023, a hamstring problem kept him off the field for four games.“I plan to stay healthy. Let’s not say ‘if’. Let’s not do that. It’s too early for that. I plan on it. When I do, [the offense] could definitely be deadly.”
Tee Higgins
Despite his injury history, quarterback Joe Burrow advocated for Higgins to get a contract extension with the Bengals, which Cincinnati fulfilled this offseason. Higgins signed a four-year deal with Cincinnati worth $115 million.
In 12 games last season, Higgins had 73 receptions for 911 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns. Advanced stats demonstrate his importance to Cincinnati’s offense. When he wasn’t on the field last season, the Bengals ranked 21st in the NFL in Expected Points Added per play. With Higgins on the field, Cincinnati would have ranked at least fourth in the league in that category.
Higgins revealed that he will change his pre-practice routine, emphasizing stretching and reducing tension in the muscles before mid-week practices. He indicated that this is similar to his management of mid-week practice last season, which allowed him to play the last seven games of the season. Cincinnati is positioned to have one of the best aerial attacks in the NFL, given the investment made in recent years. Two years after Cincinnati gave Burrow a five-year extension worth $55 million per year, the Bengals re-signed Higgins and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Chase converted a historic All-Pro season into a four-year extension worth $161 million, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback player in league history. Higgins expressed his desire to join Chase as a selection for the Pro Bowl. Chase, who was drafted a year after Higgins with the fifth overall pick, has earned the honor in each of his first four seasons in the NFL.However, after missing the playoffs the last two seasons, Higgins’ main focus is helping the Bengals win games.
“I want to go do what I was paid to do.”
Tee Higgins
