Tee Higgins will wear the iconic No. 85 for the Cincinnati Bengals for this season only.
Higgins revealed the shocking news in a presser on Thursday before his team’s Week 2 game. He’ll go back to No. 5, the number he wore in college at Clemson.
Back in April, Higgins had told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com the fans were the reason he wanted to stick with the No. 85: “It was me and my cousin’s favorite number growing up and he told me to wear it in college. I want to go back to the old number. But a lot of the fans like me in 85. I want to do what makes them happy.”
New NFL rules this offseason made it so positions like wideouts can don single-digit numbers and shortly after that, Higgins had suggested he wanted to go to No. 5.
From the sounds of it, Higgins will finally make that switch in 2022, per ESPN’s Ben Baby:
Bengals WR Tee Higgins told @Ihartitz he was gonna change his number from 85 to 5 if he scored 10 TDs.
Well, Higgins said he's changing his number regardless. This will be his last year in 85.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 16, 2021
One reason? Chad Johnson:
Tee Higgins on why he's changing his number from 85 to 5: "I just have a good feeling (@ochocinco's) number is gonna lifted one day."
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 16, 2021
