2020 In the
2020 NFL draft, Higgins was selected by the
Cincinnati Bengals in the second round with the 33rd overall pick. On July 28, 2020, Higgins signed his rookie deal, a four-year contract worth $8.6 million. Higgins made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2020 season against the
Los Angeles Chargers. In Week 2, he recorded his first three professional receptions for 35 yards against the
Cleveland Browns on
Thursday Night Football. In Week 3, against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Higgins had five receptions for 40 yards and his first two professional receiving touchdowns in the 23–23 tie. In Week 6 against the
Indianapolis Colts, he had six receptions for 125 receiving yards in the 31–27 loss. In Week 10 against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, he had seven receptions for 115 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown during the 36–10 loss. Higgins finished his rookie season with 67 receptions for 908 yards and six receiving touchdowns. His 67 catches tied a Bengals rookie record set by
Cris Collinsworth in 1981. The record was broken the following year by rookie wide receiver
Ja'Marr Chase, with 81 receptions. His 908 receiving yards ranked him third among all rookie receivers in 2020.
2021 In Week 12, against the Steelers, Higgins had six receptions for 114 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 41–10 victory. In the following game, he had nine receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown in the 41–22 loss to the Chargers. In Week 16, against the
Baltimore Ravens, he had 12 receptions for 194 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 41–21 victory. Higgins finished the 2021 regular season with 74 receptions for 1,091 yards and six receiving touchdowns in 14 games played, improving upon his rookie season. In the
Divisional Round against the
Tennessee Titans, Higgins recorded 7 receptions for 96 yards in the 19–16 win. In the
AFC Championship Game against the
Kansas City Chiefs, Higgins caught six passes for 103 yards, leading the Bengals in receiving yards in the 27–24 overtime win to advance to
Super Bowl LVI. In Super Bowl LVI, Higgins scored the Bengals' first touchdown of the game, a 6-yard pass from
Joe Mixon. On the first play from scrimmage of the second half, Higgins scored a 75-yard touchdown pass, his second touchdown of the game. Higgins finished the game catching four passes for 100 yards, the most receiving yards by a player on either team in the 23–20 loss.
2022 In Week 1 against the Steelers, Higgins left the game in the second quarter with a
concussion. In Week 4 against the
Miami Dolphins, Higgins had seven receptions for 124 yards, including a touchdown. In Week 11, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had nine receptions for 148 receiving yards in the 37–30 victory. In the following game against the Titans, he had seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown in the 20–16 victory. In Week 16 against the New England Patriots, he had eight receptions for 128 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 22–18 victory. In a Week 17 game against the
Buffalo Bills, after making a catch near midfield, Higgins was tackled by
Damar Hamlin. After the play, Hamlin stood up but immediately collapsed; it was later determined that the impact of the play caused
commotio cordis. First responders initiated
CPR and administered
defibrillation on the field. The game was ultimately postponed and cancelled. Higgins, distraught and guilt-ridden by his involvement in the play that caused Hamlin to collapse, kept in touch with Hamlin and his family as he recovered and exchanged prayers with them. Following the incident, donations to a charity Higgins supported increased rapidly in support of Hamlin. Hamlin ultimately made a full recovery and returned to the Bills for the 2023 season, and Higgins and Hamlin subsequently have become friends. Higgins finished the 2022 season with 74 receptions for 1,029 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He had six receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown in the 23–20 loss to the Chiefs in the
AFC Championship.
2023 Higgins announced in September 2021 that he planned on switching his jersey number from No. 85 back to No. 5, his old college number. Higgins stated that he often saw on social media that many users were nicknaming him "Ochocinco 2.0" (in reference to former Bengals receiver
Chad Johnson), with Higgins stating "I don't want to be a 2.0. [I want] to be Tee Higgins 1.0 and make a name for myself [in] this organization". However, he was unable to change his number in time for the 2022 season, instead with the change taking effect in 2023. In Week 2 against the Ravens, Higgins had a two-touchdown game, with 8 receptions for 89 yards in the 27–24 loss. During the Bengals' Week 4 game against the Titans, Higgins suffered a rib injury and was ruled out for the remainder of that game, as well as the following week against the
Arizona Cardinals. He had his first 100-yard game of the season in Week 9 against the Bills, making eight catches for 110 yards. On November 8, 2023, Higgins injured his hamstring during practice, and was ruled inactive for the following three games. He returned in Week 13 against the
Jacksonville Jaguars. During the Bengals' Week 17 loss against the
Kansas City Chiefs, Higgins re-aggravated his previous hamstring injury, leading to him being ruled inactive for the final game of the season against the
Cleveland Browns. He finished the season with career lows in all major statistical categories, with 656 yards on 42 receptions and five touchdowns.
2024 On February 26, 2024, the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins. On June 17, 2024, Higgins re-signed with the Bengals on a one-year contract. He sat out the first two games of the Bengals' season with a hamstring injury. He made his season debut against the
Washington Commanders in Week 3. Higgins had two touchdowns and 83 yards on nine catches in the Bengals Week 5 loss to the
Baltimore Ravens.
2025 training camp in August 2025 On March 3, 2025, the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins for the second year in a row. He then signed a four-year, $115 million contract extension two weeks later. He had 59 receptions for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns in the 2025 season. ==Career statistics==