TEE HIGGINS cast an emotional figure as he shared a heartfelt message to his mom and dad after signing a historic extension with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Wide receiver Higgins re-signed a four-year $115million contract with the Bengals.
2
2
The deal will make him one of the NFL’s top 10 highest-paid receivers.
And speaking at a press conference as the deal was announced, the 26-year-old paid tribute to his mother and father.
He said: “Ma, I love you. I did this for us.
“You ain’t gotta worry about nothing else.
“This is for pops, too.”
Higgins’ father, Eric, died in 2022 just before the football stars 23rd birthday.
Speaking about his late father in 2023, Higgins had said: “I grew up with obviously my father was in my life.
“But now he was in prison for the most part, and he was finally able to get out, finally got to come to see me play football.
“[It was] One of the lowest points of my life, because I was just so happy to finally have him back…
“And it’s hard to stay strong when he passed away.”
Higgins was a second round pick by the Bengals in 2020, and has been hoping to sign a major contract for at least two years.
On his new deal, he said: “I want to win a championship, and we can definitely win it here.
“The money isn’t the big factor.
“It’s being with the guys for another four years and trying to win that championship.”
He ranked 30th in the NFL in catches last season despite missing five games due to injury.
Higgins’ bumper new deal came alongside a $161m contract for team-mate Ja’Marr Chase.
Chase, 25, has also been pinned down to a four-year deal that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
That means they will partner quarterback Joe Burrow through to 2029 to give them one of the league’s best offenses.
On the double deal, head coach Zac Taylor said: “Now that this is concluded, the next step for us is a championship with these guys.
“I think that’s a big reason why they wanted to be here; why they wanted to come back — they know there’s more for us to accomplish as a team, a lot more wins to be had, a lot more great moments.”