Deshaun Watson lobbies for Tee Higgins to join Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson made it clear recently he’s in favor of Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins joining the team in 2024.
Watson, speaking on his personal quarterback coach Quincy Avery’s podcast, made his best pitch to Higgins to move from one AFC North team to another.
“We wanna pass the ball,” Watson said, via Patrick Andres of Sports Illustrated. “That’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna pass the ball a lot.”
He added: “We’re gonna take good care of you. The Cleveland fans are gonna love you to death. We got the Clemson ties. We ain’t get to play with each other, but this is our opportunity.”
A Watson-Higgins link-up in Cleveland would give the team a Clemson connection, though one we haven’t seen before. The two former Tigers’ stars missed each other by a year, with Watson entering the NFL following the 2016 college football season and Higgins arriving to Clemson a year later. Both, however, made their mark at Clemson, winning national championships.
Tee Higgins not ruling out return to Cincinnati
Now four years into his NFL career, Higgins is set to be an unrestricted free agent and one of the most coveted receivers on the market. Higgins, 25, is coming off a season in which he appeared in just 12 games, sidelined with a hamstring injury. Still, he hauled in 42 receptions for 656 yards and five touchdowns. Working the No. 2 role behind Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and ’22.
Both Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow have advocated for the Bengals to bring Higgins back in 2024, something he noted “means a lot” to him.
“It means a lot,” Higgins said earlier this month. “Them telling me that they want me to come back, man, it’s family. We’ve been playing together for three or four years now, and I personally would love to be back playing with those guys. It’s not in my hands now, but when the time comes and Cincinnati is there, that’s the number one option right now.”