Higgins signed his franchise tender as soon as the Bengals’ offseason workout program concluded, and he participated the first day of training camp.
“Obviously, I could have waited, but I just wanted to kill all the noise,” Higgins said after practice. “I was tired of everybody tweeting me all the other (expletive). I just wanted to kill all that and just lock in.”
Higgins and the Bengals had until July 15 to try to negotiate a long-term deal, but Higgins said the front office wasn’t giving any indication that would even be a possibility, so there was no reason to wait once he made the decision he was going to play on the tag.
Signing the franchise tender guaranteed him $21.8 million this year.
“I grew up with nothing at the end of the day,” Higgins said. “$21.8 (million), that’s life-changing money, you know what I’m saying? I could live with that for the rest of my life if I wanted to, but obviously I wanted more and it didn’t happen. I made the decision, sign and be here with my guys.”
The 2020 second-round draft pick said it was important for him to open camp with the team so he could start getting the timing down with quarterback Joe Burrow, “get back into the offense and get comfortable again.”
Burrow overthrew Higgins on a deep ball down the sideline with Dax Hill covering him during an 11-on-11 drill, but with Burrow coming back from wrist surgery, seeing him zipping the ball like that was a good sign, Higgins said.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Higgins came back from the offseason looking prepared and in “great shape,” and now the biggest thing for the staff is making sure core players like him stay healthy in camp. The Bengals have plans to limit Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase some days early on, and Burrow will be getting days off so he is not going more than two days straight the first couple of weeks while the team has a pair of three-day stretches of practice.
Taylor also clarified that right tackle Trent Brown went on the “Active/Non-Football Injury List” on Tuesday because of some tightness, but the Bengals are just “being smart” about managing him and other veterans and will see how he is doing after a couple of days. Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt also will be “day-to-day” this week after getting his tonsils removed.
Higgins said aside from winning games, the most important thing for him is trying to get through a full season, something he has struggled with his first four seasons. He has never started more than 14 regular-season games, and last year, he missed five games and only started 11 of the 12 he played.
“Going into this offseason I told myself it’s time to take care of my body more and more,” Higgins said. “I’ve got to treat my offseason like a pro, whether that be putting the right foods in my body and all that. Last year I was eating bad, a lot of fast-food last year. This year it’s more meal prep, fueling my body in the right way. My body is a Ferrari. You can’t put 87 gas in a Ferrari. You’ve got to put 93, so that’s how I look at it and that’s how I’m going to go about it.”
Some outsiders suggested Higgins might not play this season or might decide to sit out longer for business reasons. He understood why that would be a thought in his situation, but he is “a guy that likes to work.” He just has to figure out how to stay healthy.
This year is “a big year” for him and his future, as he will be trying to prove himself worthy of the type of contract he wants, but he did take to heart what Jessie Bates said in a May interview discussing what it was like for him when he went through the same process with the franchise tag. Bates said he got in his own head a little bit but his advice to Higgins is that “every year is a contract year” and he should just “go out there and ball out.”
“I’m really introverted, don’t care too much about the outside noise, but definitely saw what he said and I took it to heart,” Higgins said. “Contract year, and I’ve got to play like it. I’ve got to be at my best this year and do what I do best.”
Other than that, and what his agent tells him, Higgins said he tried to ignore what everyone else was saying about his contract situation. He has always been “about football,” and doesn’t plan to change, especially with the hope to chase a championship this season.
“We’ve been close the past few years and I just feel like I’m a piece of the puzzle that can help us get there,” Higgins said. “I want to win one with my guys I came in with, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing.”
In the back of his mind, there is a feeling of this being the last dance for him in Cincinnati. That’s another motivating factor as he tries to help the Bengals get back to a Super Bowl this season.
“If it is, man, it is what it is,” Higgins said. “I’m gonna give it my all this year and do what I do best.”
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