Tee Higgins reacts as ex-Steelers WR eyes NFL return after season-ending injury in 2024

Tee Higgins is one half of one of the best wideout duos in the NFL. Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase are key members of the Joe Burrow-led offense of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Ahead of the 2025 campaign, Tee Higgins took to the comment section of former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool to offer words of encouragement. Claypool made an emotional post talking about the trials and tribulations that came with recovering from a serious injury in 2024. He wrote in an Instagram post on Friday:

"My first season-ending injury in 18 years came at the worst possible time. I felt like God was playing a joke on me. It’s been a year since I’ve posted on Instagram, and almost nobody knows what actually happened to me.

"Signing with Buffalo was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I was the strongest, fastest, and most prepared I had ever been. I was playing my best football, working my way up from last (14th) string to taking first-team reps by training camp. Most of all, I was doing it with a group of guys I truly appreciated."

Claypool said he is aiming to return to the NFL in 2025, and Tee Higgins reacted to the post:

Tee Higgins reacts as ex-Steelers WR eyes NFL return after season-ending injury in 2024

In the post, Claypool went into detail about his injury, a ligament and tendon tear in his toe:

"I tore a ligament and a tendon in my second toe and have been rehabbing, working out, and recovering every day for the past year. I am back to being the strongest and fastest I’ve ever been and couldn’t be more excited to step back out on the field and let my actions speak for themselves.

"I deeply and truly believe that the pieces will align, and I will work my way into the position to show off what’s been suppressed these last two years."

Chase Claypool & Tee Higgins both have a point to prove in 2025

Chase Claypool is in good spirits as he prepares for a return to the gridiron. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish product has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, and Miami Dolphins in his professional football career. He's looking to prove his fitness and join another team for the 2025 campaign.

If he can find a team, Claypool will have a point to prove in 2025 and look to revive a career that did not go as planned. From being seen as a promising receiver in Pittsburgh to being linked to the CFL, Claypool's reputation took multiple hits as his performances declined.

Meanwhile, Tee Higgins is gearing up for his sixth season in the NFL, fresh off signing a four-year, $115 million contract extension. Given how much of the Bengals' cap space is being taken up by Higgins, QB Joe Burrow (five-year, $275 million) and fellow WR Ja'Marr Chase (four-year, $161 million), these three will be in the spotlight all season.

That spotlight could prove very bright if Cincinnati struggles and misses the postseason. The Bengals haven't made the playoffs since the 2022 season, and are coming off a campaign that saw them narrowly miss out on postseason action.

Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, and Joe Burrow will be crucial to the Bengals, but there are questions about their roster construction, particularly on defense, that could pose problems.