Pair of former Browns players return to team to retire

It’s easy to see why both players are well-liked by Browns fans. Their enthusiastic personalities and ability to give it their all on and off the field really connected with Cleveland. Not every player can make the sort of impact Kirksey and Higgins made in the community.

Christian Kirksey stars in middle of Cleveland’s defense

Kirksey became a Browns player when Cleveland selected him in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He did not miss a game throughout his first four NFL seasons and was a full-time starter by his third season in 2016.

Kirksey had a fantastic two-year stretch in 2016 & 2017 in which he recorded 286 tackles (182 solo), six sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 13 QB hits. He also had eight pass deflections and two forced fumbles during that span, starting all 32 games.

Injuries started derailing his Browns career in 2018 when he was limited to seven games due to a hamstring injury. He then played only two games in 2019 due to a chest injury. The Browns released him in March 2020 after six seasons with the team.

Kirksey then went on to play three more seasons in the NFL appearing in 41 games for the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans. He started all 17 games for the Texans in 2022 as a middle linebacker.

Kirksey played nine seasons in the NFL, starting 94 of the 114 games he appeared in. He recorded 778 total tackles, 16.5 sacks and seven interceptions. He retires at 32 years old having earned over $37 million playing in the NFL, per Spotrac.

Rashard Higgins was always smiles

Higgins was not a star player but most Browns fans knew who he was and what he meant to the team during his six seasons in Cleveland. A fifth-round pick in 2016, Higgins was quiet as a rookie before turning into a viable target in his second season.

His numbers increased in each of his first three seasons, culminating with a 39-catch, 572-yard season in 2018 which included scoring four touchdowns. He was a non-factor in 2019 before bouncing back in 2020, notching a career-high 599 receiving yards with four touchdowns. Higgins also caught seven passes for 116 yards in two playoff games that year.

After another down year in 2021, Higgins signed with the Carolina Panthers but played a total of 12 snaps across three games.

Higgins is only 29 years old but is calling it a career after seven NFL seasons. Browns fans said on social media that they thought Higgins had a little left in the tank and could help Cleveland in 2024. It doesn’t seem like that will be the case though.

Perhaps the Browns will give Kirksey and Higgins a chance to say goodbye to the fans and honor them at a game this season. The Browns are coming off an 11-6 season in 2023.