WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Rams head coach Sean McVay wanted to give tight end Tyler Higbee the necessary time and space to weigh his future.
Turns out Higbee didn't need much of either.
"It was fairly quick," Higbee said Monday as the Rams began their offseason workout program. "I mean, a week removed from the season, it was like, 'I want to play ball.'"
And so the most decorated tight end in franchise history turned the page from the end of his 10th NFL season to preparing for his 11th, eventually making it official after he re-signed with the team on a one-year deal on March 10 before he could become an unrestricted free agent. While Higbee acknowledged "you just never know with the uncertainty of things" – alluding to that pending free agency – he said he didn't want to play for any team other than the Rams.
If returning for Year 11 was a no-brainer, coming back to the Rams was an easier decision. Los Angeles was one win away from appearing in third Super Bowl under McVay, and returns an MVP quarterback under center in veteran Matthew Stafford.
"I knew a little bit before a lot of people. Sometime last year," Higbee said with a smile, when asked how soon he knew Stafford was coming back. "But yeah, it's great. Obviously the offense starts and runs through him. He's such a special player, Hall-of-Famer, and he raised the level of play of everybody around him. So, lucky to be here. I mean, he's one of the main reasons I want to come back here too, playing with a guy like that. So it's exciting. I'm happy to have him, and obviously everybody else here (as well)."
An ankle injury limited Higbee to 10 games (eight starts) last year, but he still contributed 25 receptions for 281 yards and three receiving touchdowns and remained a dependable run-blocker as L.A.'s offense evolved into a an offense that heavily featured 13 personnel. He said that injury was something that still lingered even after he returned from Injured Reserve.
"Yeah, sometimes those high ankles can linger a little bit, and it was bothering me a little bit, and still dealing with some of that stuff," Higbee said. "But I've been staying on top of my supplementals and the rehab process, and it's incrementally, slowly getting better. Even getting back into training in the offseason, I'm like, this thing's still lingering, but it has gotten better, and it still continues to get better. It's almost non-existent."
Despite dealing with that, there were still many positives Higbee could draw from the team's success last year. While emphasizing it is a new year and each season is its own, he still goes back to how close the Rams were to tasting the highest level of success in the NFL and potentially bringing home another Lombardi Trophy. When asked what his personal goal was for this season, he simply responded "win a championship."
"I got a few more years of good football in me," Higbee said. "We have a team that will have a chance, a lot of things have to go right, but this is a team that can compete for a championship, and I want to be a part of it."
