Ahead of the 2023 season, there was a lot of speculation about Tee Higgins' status with the Bengals.
Multiple reports indicated that the 24-year-old wide receiver would likely play out the campaign without signing a long-term contract extension. The lack of a new deal fueled speculation about a potential trade or departure in free agency next year.
Higgins hasn't left the team that selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he did make a notable change to his appearance before the start of his fourth season.
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Why did Higgins decide to ditch the No. 85 jersey and don No. 5? The Sporting News explains the change:
Why Tee Higgins switched jersey number from 85 to 5
As a star wideout with Clemson, Higgins wore No. 5 for his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. He was unable to keep No. 5 when he joined the professional ranks because the NFL didn't allow wide receivers to wear single digits at the time, so he snagged the No. 85 jersey in Cincinnati.
However, the league tweaked the rule in 2021, opening the door for more position groups to take single digits. Higgins expressed interest in switching back to No. 5, but he didn't want to upset Bengals fans that owned his jersey.
"[Five] was me and my cousin's favorite number growing up and he told me to wear it in college," Higgins said in April 2021. "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."
Higgins also had to consider the financial ramifications. If he had flipped from No. 85 to No. 5 immediately, Higgins would have been required to buy out the existing inventory of the old jersey. That's a significant amount of money, especially considering Higgins was playing on a rookie deal.
He didn't pull the trigger right after the NFL's announcement, but Higgins made it clear that he would eventually return to No. 5. He wanted to create his own legacy rather than constantly be compared to six-time Pro Bowler Chad Johnson, who wore No. 85 in Cincinnati from 2001-2010.
"It's not that big of a deal, but I just felt like Chad has done so much for this organization. And I just got a good feeling that his number is gonna get lifted one day, and I just want to make a name for myself," Higgins said in September 2021.
"I keep seeing on Twitter 'Ochocinco 2.0.' I don't want to be a 2.0. No disrespect to Chad — he's a great receiver. I just don't want to be a 2.0 for myself. I want to be Tee Higgins 1.0, No. 5."
In March, the Bengals revealed that Higgins had officially switched to No. 5.
That’s number 5 Tee Higgins to you. pic.twitter.com/fTdtgveLwj
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 29, 2023
