Damar Hamlin's near-death experience apparently brought him even closer to his Cincinnati buddies ... 'cause the Buffalo Bills safety spent part of his offseason hanging with the Bengals' trio of star receivers -- including Tee Higgins -- less than five months after his on-field collapse.
Of course, Hamlin was already tight with receiver Tyler Boyd ... as the two grew up playing against each other on the youth football field in Pennsylvania.
But, the longtime pals were joined by fellow Bengals route runners Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase when they decided to take a trip to the desert sometime recently ... with the four NFL stars posting up next to some ATVs.
"Hot Boyz," Boyd captioned the shot.
Remember, Damar was attempting to tackle Tee during the Jan. 2 Monday Night Football game before suffering commotio cordis and being rushed to a local hospital.
Higgins and his mother remained at the facility throughout the night ... and were there every step of the way to support Hamlin's family.
Now, five months later, Hamlin is thankfully cleared to return to normal life AND his football career ... and has since used his story to spread awareness for AEDs and CPR training.
Here's hoping the guys were extra safe if they ended up driving around in the four-wheelers ... especially since the vehicles have been known to cause accidents over the years.