Tyler Higbee’s Future With Rams in Doubt After Addition of Top Rookie Tight End
The Los Angeles Rams have continued reshaping their roster since their 2021 Super Bowl title, and one longtime veteran could soon be on his way out. Tight end Tyler Higbee, a key part of that championship squad, now finds himself in a precarious position following an injury-shortened 2024 season and the team’s recent investment in the position.
Higbee, who missed most of last season after recovering from a torn ACL sustained in 2023, enters 2025 in the final year of his contract. While once a reliable contributor, he managed just eight receptions for 66 yards and two touchdowns across three games last season.
Meanwhile, the Rams used a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Terrance Ferguson, a standout from Oregon and the school’s all-time leader in receptions and touchdowns by a tight end. His selection, along with the presence of Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen, adds to a crowded depth chart at tight end.
Parkinson, who joined the Rams after four seasons with the Seahawks, stepped up in Higbee’s absence in 2024 with 30 catches for 294 yards and a touchdown. Allen, a 2023 fifth-round pick, added limited contributions but remains a part of the rotation. The Rams also signed undrafted rookies Mark Redman and Anthony Torres, both measuring in at 6’6″—matching the size profile of the rest of the tight end group.
With Ferguson now under contract for four years at $9.7 million and Parkinson carrying the highest cap hit among Rams tight ends at $9.8 million, Higbee may be the odd man out. Higbee is set to earn $8.7 million in the final year of his two-year, $17 million deal. Should the Rams release him after June 1, they would save $6.7 million in cap space, leaving only $2.1 million in dead money.
While Higbee has been a dependable target and locker room presence, the emergence of younger, more affordable talent—combined with his injury history and contract situation—makes his future with the Rams uncertain. As the team looks to the future, the writing may be on the wall for one of the last remaining members of their Super Bowl-winning core.
