The Browns and Rashard Higgins have begun preliminary talks on a contract extension, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. The wide receiver is currently on track for free agency after his one-year, $910K deal expires. 
Higgins, a fifth-year pro, enjoyed a solid 2018 with 39 grabs for 572 yards and four scores. Unfortunately, a knee injury kept him from building on that in 2019, but he still drew a fair amount of interest as a free agent. Despite having more lucrative offers on the table, Higgins opted to re-up with the Browns, favoring his chemistry with Baker Mayfield over short-term dollars.
So far, that decision has paid off. Higgins has 25 grabs for 400 yards and three TDs through ten games, and he could be on the verge of a pay bump in Cleveland. And, after a 6/95/1 showing to help beat the Titans, there couldn’t be a better time for him to negotiate. If the season ended today, Higgins’ 16.0 yards per grab would represent a career best, and the season is far from over. The 9-3 Browns — with the Ravens on the horizon — are on track to break the league’s longest-standing playoff drought.
As a Steeler fan I would love the Browns to have three expensive receivers when you can find cheap receivers everywhere
I don’t think Higgins will break the bank… Wouldn’t take much to top this year’s $910k
Then as a Steelers fan you should know how often those cheap receivers drop passes ♂️
Lol
Not sure how it affects you or the Browns, considering browns have $30m in cap space…2nd in the league
I’d imagine he’d probably get $4-5 million a year, tops. Worry about your own team.
Don’t worry about him. Also a Steelers fan and I think locking Higgins up for 2-3 years on an incentive-laden extension would be sensible. He’s not an elite player, but he’s a reliable tertiary/quaternary option that seems to have developed a rapport with Mayfield. I respect the new Cleveland front office and believe they finally have some direction
I think keeping Higgins around in Cleveland is a good idea. Doesn’t he play on special teams as well. Always good to have the versatility guys. A lot of people forget how important gunners really are.
Nah our returners are (Jojo Natson [ACL tear], Peoples-Jones, and d’Earnest Johnson)
Lol, “our”
Trade OBJ and use some of that $$ (post hit) on this guy. Better attitude and team chemistry vice OBJ and his crap.
The Browns are paying Jarvis Landry $15M a year and OBJ around $19M a year…while I think it’s hard to argue ANY player, including a franchise quarterback, is actually worth that kind of money considering what it does to the salary cap, Landryis a team leader and consummate football player, whereas I’ve never felt the Browns needed OBJ and his huge salary to succeed. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Browns trading OBJ and freeing up cap space…anyone who thinks that Rashard Higgins will be an “expensive receiver” doesn’t have much knowledge for the market or the value Higgins brings to the Browns…he’s a sure-handed receiver who consistently makes crucial catches and has great chemistry with Mayfield. Anyone who doesn’t understand this can be mistaken for Freddie Kitchens. I wonder how concerned the Steelers fan will be when it’s time to pay Juju and Washington and all of the productive Steelers’ receivers at the same time…I’ll bet his tune will change to “no problem, we’ll worth it”
I agree with everything else you said, but it’s not in the Steelers’ nature to pay those receivers. They’re admittedly really good at drafting and developing them, and they’re more willing to let guys walk than risk overpaying for them.
It wouldn’t surprise me if drafting Claypool was done with Juju’s free agency in mind, and it also wouldn’t surprise me if they just let him walk and used that cap space elsewhere.
You make a good point. I’d forgotten the Steelers have let productive receivers like Sanders and Mike Wallace walk in the past. Your point regarding Claypool may be spot on too; however I think Juju, particularly, is a cut (or two) above some of the receivers they’ve let walk in the past. Don’t forget, too, that they paid Antonio Brown before he self-destructed in Pittsburgh. He’s no longer there due to his misbehavior, not money concerns. But you may be right that the Steelers may continue to rely on their impressive track record of drafting receivers and let Juju, among others, eventually walk. As a Browns fan, I wish the Steelers didn’t draft as well as they do, but I’ve got to hand it to them for the way they draft, in general, and particularly how they draft receivers; actually the way the Steelers have run their whole organization for nearly 50 years is quite impressive. They consistently draft FOOTBALL PLAYERS who contribute regardless of their combine stats and don’t panic after a substandard year.
it sucks watching the Browns dribble down their leg year after year in the front office. meanwhile, the “rivals” in Pittsburgh are such a well-run franchise. how the Browns handle the next couple of years should say alot about the new leadership. Baker, Ward, Chubb, Beckham, and Landry will all be decisions over the next 2 years. also, how will they handle LB and DL this off-season?
But for now, I’m hoping Week 17 ends up being a battle for the division. With the Browns playing well and a healthy Joe Burrow in Cincy, the AFC North could soon be the best division in the league
I love Higgins. He and KhaDarel Hodge obviously will never be #1 receivers, but they fit this roster perfectly and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to help the Browns win. Hopefully they stick around.
Josina doesn’t work for ESPN anymore ♂️