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Bengals Pro Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert is probably wishing he had never been a Pro Bowler right now.

Eifert suffered an ankle injury in the Pro Bowl that was slow to heal and will now require surgery, which he is scheduled to undergo today. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Eifert could miss the first couple of games of the regular season.

That’s a big blow to the Bengals, and it may be a big blow to the Pro Bowl. Players are already increasingly declining invitations to play in the game. In seven months, you can bet that many NFL players will be thinking about Eifert when they consider whether it’s really worth it to accept the “honor” of playing in a meaningless exhibition game.

Eifert has already missed 19 games in his three-year career. Last year Eifert played in 13 games and caught 52 passes for 615 yards, with 13 touchdowns.