11-year veteran tight end Tyler Higbee signed a new two-year, $8 million extension with the Los Angeles Rams. Higbee, a former fourth-round pick, spent the entirety of his career with the Los Angeles Rams.
Tyler Higbee Signs New Extension with Los Angeles Rams
Tyler Higbee enters free agency for the first time in his career with more questions than answers. Despite an injury-plagued 2025 campaign, the Western Kentucky product caught 25 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Los Angeles made the NFC Championship, where Higbee was the starting tight end, but lost to Sam Darnold, Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks.
Higbee originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The rookie was named the third tight end on the Rams’ depth chart, behind veterans Lance Kendricks and Cory Harkey during the Jeff Fisher era. Higbee recorded 11 receptions for 85 receiving yards and a touchdown in 16 games, with seven starts. The Rams did not make the playoffs during his rookie campaign, finishing the season 4-12.
After the team missed its 12th consecutive postseason, the Rams fired Fisher, with Sean McVay stepping in as the new head coach, to name Higbee the starting tight end for the 2017 regular season. Higbee made progress and recorded 25 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown and started 16 games. With that, the Rams appeared in the postseason, where Higbee made his first playoff start, but lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild-Card round.
Matthew Stafford took over starting duties after trading for him while shipping Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions, and Higbee exploded. During the 2021 campaign, Higbee appeared and started 15 regular-season games, while he recorded 61 receptions for 560 yards and five touchdown catches. The veteran became the Rams’ all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards by a tight end. Although he didn’t play in the Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals that season due to a knee injury, he became a world champion.
Colby Parkinson joined the Rams during the 2024 campaign, reducing the usage of Tyler Higbee for the vast majority of the season after tearing his ACL and MCL the previous season. While he started the 2025 regular season, he never captured his previous form, ultimately leading to Parkinson winning the starting job.
Since signing his rookie contract, the Western Kentucky product recorded 386 receptions for 3,949 yards and 27 receiving touchdowns.