The 2025 NFL season didn’t go according to plan for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati won just six games and failed to make the playoffs, but this was in large part due to Joe Burrow missing a significant chunk of the season thanks to a turf toe injury that required surgery.
PFSN caught up with Bengals stars Tee Higgins and Chase Brown courtesy of Bounty, and they discussed what the Bengals must do to bounce back next season, playing for head coach Zac Taylor, the speculation about Burrow’s future, their offseason goals, the Super Bowl 60 matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, and more.
Tee Higgins and Chase Brown Q&A
You guys played the Patriots earlier this season and they obviously just advanced to the Super Bowl. What are your thoughts on how they match up with the Seahawks, and what is your Super Bowl prediction?
Tee Higgins: “I think that defense is pretty good, and they got a good back-seven as well, so it was a challenge out there, especially for me, just being there out wide against those corners; they’re pretty good. I honestly think the Patriots are going to end up pulling it off. I think their defense got a little edge [on] the Seahawks offense.”
Chase Brown: “I got friends on both teams, so I don’t really care who wins. But yeah, Tee was talking about the defense. I feel like both defenses are really good. Drake Maye’s been playing really well. It’ll be a good matchup. I think if the Patriots can get some momentum defensively and then play aggressive, I think they’ll do really well. But if they can’t do that, I think the Seahawks win.”
The Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl a few years ago. What does this team need to do in order to get back to the Super Bowl next season?
Higgins: “I think just playing together at the beginning of the season and just starting faster than we usually do. Obviously, the past few years, we’ve been getting it going a little late and it’s been a little bit too late, you know what I mean? So hopefully next year, we put it all together and get it going early.”
Brown: “We’ve got to fire on all cylinders. I think we put a big emphasis on starting fast, and we did. We won some games at the start of the year, but they weren’t exactly wins that we kind of walked away feeling like, ‘Okay, that was good.’ But we’re a hard team to beat when we’re firing on all cylinders offensively and defensively. So, that’s what I look forward to, doing that and winning a lot of games.”
Zac Taylor is now the longest-tenured coach in your division since the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns changed coaches this offseason. What is it like playing for Zac?
Higgins: “I feel like Zac is a players-first coach, you know what I mean? He really takes care of his guys and things like that. To me, he’s a great coach. I never looked at him as any other type of way, you know what I’m saying? But I respect him. All the guys on the team respect him. And he respects us.”
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Brown: “No doubt.”
Tee, you had a monster game in Super Bowl 56. What advice would you give to players on both teams who are going through this for the first time? It can be a bit of a circus and you’re pulled in a lot of directions, so what would your advice be for the next two weeks?
Higgins: “My advice would be to soak in the moment because you’re not promised to play in that game ever again, you know what I mean? So soak in the moment, enjoy the atmosphere, but once the clock starts, just be you. Be yourself and play your game.”
There was a lot of talk about Joe Burrow’s press conferences and people speculating about his future in Cincinnati. The media tends to read into things a lot, but you’re around him every day. Did things seem different to you guys or do you think this was overblown by the media?
Brown: “I think you said it best: I think the media just looks into that too deeply. I don’t think there were any hidden messages behind that, but that’s all I got to say about that.”
Do you guys have specific goals or things that you’re working on this offseason?
Higgins: “For me, mine is just keeping my mobility right, making sure that I’m able to bend and turn and move correctly.”
Brown: “For me, obviously mobility’s huge, but just to continue to widen my game and be versatile.”
Tee, I felt like you were one of the biggest Pro Bowl snubs. Do you use something like that as motivation?
Higgins: “Nah, that’s not something I use as motivation, you know what I’m saying? It’s not who I am.”
I’m curious, what do you think of the state of the Pro Bowl? There’s been a lot of conversation about that after Shedeur Sanders was selected as a replacement. What are your thoughts on Shedeur being selected and on the state of the Pro Bowl in general?
Higgins: “Kudos to him, you know what I’m saying? He deserve it, whatever, you know what I mean? But we’re here to talk about football and our partnership and stuff like that.”
Can you share some details about your Wingman partnership with Bounty?
Brown: “We’re part of their Wingman program, and the best part about this partnership is that I grew up using Bounty. Even to this day for my Super Bowl party, with all my family coming over and all the food coming in, it’s going to get messy, and Bounty is going to be there to clean up.”
Higgins: “It is exciting for me because as Chase was saying, I host a lot of watch parties and with those watch parties, we have a lot of messy foods whether it be nachos, wings, and things like that. And especially the wings that I like. I like honey hot lemon pepper, so it’s real messy, you know what I’m saying? And I eat a lot of ranch with that as well. So anytime I need to wipe my hands off, I got Bounty right there with me.
“Wings, football, and Bounty [are the keys to a great Super Bowl party].”
