Rams Extend Super Bowl Winning Tight End
Late on March 5th, 2026, Jordan Schultz and Adam Schefter broke news on X of an extension between the Los Angeles Rams and TE Tyler Higbee. The contract is a two-year deal worth eight million dollars, and the deal will prevent Higbee from testing free agency, barring a cap-saving release from the team. Higbee has been a member of the Rams since they moved back to LA from St. Louis before the 2016 NFL Season. Now staying in LA until after the 2027 season, Higbee should remain a vital component in Sean McVay’s offensive scheme.
Tyler Higbee was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft after spending four seasons with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Despite being considered a top TE prospect in the 2016 draft, a knee sprain late in his senior season prevented him from participating in the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and Western Kentucky Pro Day, causing the slide to the fourth-round. Higbee started third on the depth chart for the 2016 Rams, who were coached by Jeff Fisher, but finished with one touchdown on 11 receptions for 85 yards.
When McVay was hired as the head coach in 2017, he named Higbee as the starting TE, and the Florida native would start at least 15 games over the next seven seasons. While Higbee never broke 800 yards in a single season, he was a part of a bigger plan: helping quarterbacks Jared Goff and, eventually, Matt Stafford lead an offense that was filled with playmakers at many positions. From Todd Gurley, Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, Cooper Kupp, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Colby Parkinson, and many more over the years. Higbee, who never made a Pro Bowl, earned a two-year, $27 million extension early in the 2023 season, but obliterated his knee in the Wild Card Round that same year, which held him out for most of the 2024 season. Even with three games in 2024, the former Hilltopper never played a season of collegiate or professional football without scoring a touchdown.
In 2025, the tight end returned to the Rams for his 10th year in the league. The then 32-year-old played in nine of the first 10 games of the season before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury until Week 18. In his 10 games of 2025, Higbee recorded 25 receptions for 281 yards and three touchdowns. While the veteran TE was not a groundbreaking player, he has been extremely effective in the run game, blocking for Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. For 2026, it has already been announced that Matt Stafford would return for at least one more season, and the Rams’ home stadium will be the hosting venue for Super Bowl LXI. With this information added to Higbee’s low-risk veteran contract, expect the long-time Ram to continue his role as a dual-threat TE in a strong LA offense, but continue to act as a locker room boosting, bridge player for Parkinson or any other TE of the future for the Rams.
