Two former Browns players sign one-day contracts to retire with team

Tuesday morning, it was announced that two former members of the Cleveland Browns would come back on one-day contracts in order to retire with the organization.

Both wide receiver Rashard Higgins and linebacker Christian Kirksey opted to retire as a member of the Browns.

While each of them played six seasons in Cleveland and became staples on each side of the ball, fans should remember them also for what they did off the field.

Rashard Higgins and Christian Kirksey were proud members of the Cleveland community

One of the more special aspects about Higgins being in Cleveland was his active involvement off the field. During his time with the Browns, he volunteered quite a bit of time to youth football events, the Special Olympics as well as military appreciation events.

Kirksey, meanwhile, was heavily involved in giving back to the upcoming generation, creating the Kirkoland Foundation which encouraged people to "be them, be proud, be their own rockstar." He made such a lasting impression in Cleveland, that he was named the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee back in 2018.

Kirksey would also go on to be nominated for the same honor during his stint with the Houston Texans a few years later.

Higgins was selected by the Browns in the fifth round out of Colorado State back in the 2016 NFL Draft. He enjoyed his best year with the team back in 2018 when he caught 39 of 53 targets for 572 yards and four touchdowns. 27 of his 39 receptions went for first downs that year; an impressive majority.

Kirksey was a third-round pick out of Iowa back in the 2014 NFL Draft, when Cleveland selected him 71st overall. He would go on to top the triple-digit tackle mark in two separate seasons, finishing in the top five in all of the NFL in back-to-back seasons (2016-2017).

When you think of guys like Higgins and Kirksey, you might also wonder who could be next in line to retire a Brown. Players like Nick Chubb, David Njoku and Denzel Ward come to mind as some of the longer-tenured guys in Cleveland.

Hats off to a pair of wonderful careers for both Higgins and Kirksey.