For Tee Higgins, football never was about mere stats and highlights; it’s been a story of redemption, resilience, and family. A second-round 2020 draft pick, Higgins transformed into one of the Cincinnati Bengals‘ most reliable receivers, valued for contested catches and toe-tapping sideline grabs. But supporting every first down and every dance is a larger story, one inscribed in trauma, resilience, and the unbreakable bond of a son and his mom.

That connection returned to the public recently, not within an NFL Films feature. But as a keen rebuke from Lady Stewart, Higgins’ mother. As social media posts spotlighted her past—how she was shot in the head in 2005 and overcame a 16-year addiction—she seized the narrative herself. She struck out on X (formerly Twitter) with her own reality.

In a now-viral tweet, she clapped back: ”So talking about his dad and my history gets u likes lol…no matter what we good over here and for u simple a– haters in the comments.” Her words weren’t just a rebuttal—they were a reclamation. It swiped the adversity she’d already conquered, shrugged off the din of the web, and reminded everyone that Tee’s family’s strength is not up for debate. 

For other people who were aware of Tee’s story, it sounded out much louder than any stat sheet. Because it wasn’t about online chatter—it was about legacy. Higgins himself didn’t respond to the post. But he always credited his toughness to his mother. In a deeply personal 2020 essay for The Players’ Tribune, he described how he was just six when he learned she had been shot. That trauma didn’t shatter them but made them unbreakable. “She never quit on me,” he once wrote. “So I can’t quit on her.” It was a motivation for him that kept him going.

“Whatever issue I’m having, it’ll never compare to what my mom went through, by overcoming d—s, getting shot, and being sober all these years. Seeing her in the stands with my jersey on, and a huge smile on her face. It doesn’t get any better than that for me,” he said while talking about his injuries in 2023. For him, seeing Momma stand up and cheer for him, even after having a metal plate and 160 screws installed in her skull, is nothing but a reminder of what tru strength and love look like. Collecting every pain and strength, Higgins is once again back on the field to shine.

Training camp 2025: An orange and black reintroduction for Tee Higgins

Higgins arrived at the Bengals’ Kettering Health Practice Fields this July as a wide receiver. After opting to miss out on optional OTAs with contract talks still in progress, his comeback was greeted with stunning news. A four-year, $115 million extension, the first two years of which are guaranteed. It was a signing that ended all the rumors and gave Cincinnati fans the answer they’d been searching for all summer—No. 5 isn’t departing.

But even before the contract, Higgins was dialed in. When he emerged on Day 1 of camp, the atmosphere shifted. He offers size, speed, and attitude. That kind of player forces things to happen with coverages. And this iteration of Tee, the one that was personally motivated and pro-hungry, wasn’t so readily dismissed.

He assembled across beginning corners and went all-out: red-zone fades, slant routes over traffic, high-point grabs with double coverage. Solo was a 6’4″, 220-lb destroyer informing the league why he is one of football’s most slept-on WR1s.

Cincinnati’s offense has plenty of firepower, Ja’Marr Chase, a healthy Joe Burrow, and a revamped O-line, but insiders know Higgins is the glue that binds. In fact, in 2025, OC Dan Pitcher is dialing up a more aggressive, multi-level attack. That’s where Tee fits in, pulling safety help deep, opening windows underneath, and dominating contested situations.

But aside from his contributions to the stat sheet, Higgins has become a leader. He’s mentoring younger WRs like Jermaine Burton with words of wisdom between series, making adjustments with hand positioning. And demonstrating to them how to snap back in the head following drops. It’s the kind of coaching that typically accrues to veterans closer to the end than the beginning of their playing career—not a man headed into his prime.

In spite of that, the irony persists. Higgins is the present and future of this receiving corps. His contract extension means he’ll be back in Cincinnati next season when they attempt another Super Bowl. But this offseason still feels like something else. Something akin to a mission. Something akin to a son running routes, not just for himself. But for the woman who never wavered in believing in him. All of the routes that he’s running this off-season aren’t for Week 1. It’s for all the things leading up to it and everyone he’s running for.