Who Should I Start? Tee Higgins or Brock Purdy

Sunday, January 5, 11:16 AM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle) said on Saturday that he has been playing through a left high-ankle sprain and will continue to do so if the Bengals make the playoffs. "I have no choice," Higgins said. The 25-year-old pass-catcher was forced to leave in the second half of Saturday night's win over the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers with his ankle issue and never returned. The Bengals need both the Broncos and Dolphins to lose on Sunday to get into the postseason, but if it all comes to fruition, Higgins will try to continue playing through his injury. Higgins has 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns in the Week 17 win over the Broncos but only had four catches for 53 yards on Saturday before leaving early. If the Bengals advance, Higgins could carry a questionable tag into wild-card weekend.

Monday, January 6, 6:16 PM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said he would like to have a long-term contract extension done sooner than later this offseason so that he can participate in full for the offseason program. "I want to obviously get it done. If that's an opportunity to be able to get that done quick, that'd be great. Just so we can get back for phase one," Purdy said. If how the 49ers have handled contract extensions with their star players recently is any indication, Purdy is likely to get his hopes up. However, the QB position is the most important when constructing a football roster, so perhaps the 49ers' decision-makers will find more urgency with Purdy's situation. Although the 25-year-old took a step back after his 2023 breakout, he was also without key offensive weapons for long stretches. Although it may not come quickly, San Fran is expected to get something done with Purdy this offseason.