Getty Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins addressed those doubting his injury issues during a contract year.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has been the subject of some criticism for a perceived lack of urgency returning from injury in recent weeks.
“I’m pretty sure people have been talking like that, but it’s cool,” Higgins told reporters on November 30 (via Fox19’s Jeremy Rauch). “My health is way more important than what other people have their opinion on me.”
“I always want to help this team.”
Tee Higgins responded to the notion that he’s been sitting out longer to protect himself in a contract year.
“I’m here,” Higgins added, “and my only thing is I always want to help this team. I’m glad I’m here, and I’m glad I’m healthy.”
That last part of Higgins’ response was in reference to feeling just about 100% heading into the Week 13 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. “That’s the plan, for sure,” the wide receiver voiced when asked about potentially returning from his hamstring injury on Monday night.
Of course, this discussion all ties back to the star’s impending free agent status and whether or not he’ll return to Cincinnati in 2024.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor Backs Tee Higgins, Explaining Cautious Approach From Organization
If Higgins is making a business decision by sitting out, he managed to convince head coach Zac Taylor to get onboard. The AFC champion coach defended the wideout’s cautious rehab on Friday of Week 12 — per Pro Football Network beat writer Jay Morrison.
“I think he’s on a good track,” Taylor stated. “I’m encouraged to where he’s progressing to.”
Continuing: “It feels like [the injury] was a long time ago. It was not.”
He went on to explain that the Bengals “just want to be mindful” about his recovery. “[Higgins is] pushing himself in the rehab process, but there was no reason to integrate him into practice [early] and risk a setback with him doing something away from the trainers.”
This week, Higgins was “trending in the right direction” towards playing, according to Taylor.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins Is Still Looking to Accomplish Goals Despite Injury Setbacks
Higgins has missed four games so far this season between hamstring and rib cage injuries. Despite that, the playmaker is still looking to accomplish what he set out to do at the beginning of the year.
“I’ve still got my goals written down, and I’ve still got goals to cross off for this season,” Higgins expressed to the media (relayed by Morrison on PFN). “Some of them I might not be able to hit, but at the same time, I might. You never know. My goal is to go out and accomplish those goals no matter what.”
Although he declined to share what they were, the wide receiver did note that an immediate goal is helping this team win in Week 13.
“Obviously, we definitely want to win, definitely need to win [against the Jaguars],” Higgins said. “I feel like this could definitely get us back on track to where we want to go. We know we’ve still got the guys in this locker room to go out and win games. All it takes is for us to put together the pieces of the puzzle and complement each other and just play ball.”
Block out all the noise and play football. That’s typically the best solution when things go wrong in the NFL.
For Higgins, it’s the best course of action too. If he can put together a decent final month with Jake Browning at quarterback, it could boost his price tag heading into an important 2024 offseason.
After all, carrying a backup-level QB is a whole lot better “business decision” than sitting out with a phantom injury.
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Bengals WR Tee Higgins Sounds Off on Injury Critics