<
        >

          Super Bowl 2022 -- From Joe Burrow to Joe Brrr, the Cincinnati Bengals QB gets the people going

          • Tory Barron, ESPN EditorFeb 7, 2022, 07:20 AM ET
            Close
              Tory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the DC native decided to try her hand at writing about people playing sports.
            Follow on X

          It takes a supremely confident individual to pair a Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson-esque black turtleneck and heart-printed sherpa jacket with a gaudy -- er, large -- chain bearing one's own initials whilst donning rimless square-frame Cartier glasses.

          Cue Joe Burrow. The Cincinnati Bengals' second-year quarterback and former LSU standout -- who could become the first-ever quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, a national title and a Super Bowl ring -- fits the bill.

          It's tough to pinpoint the exact origin of Burrow's swag. Maybe he was born with it (if you were to unearth social media documentation from his Ohio State tenure, you might argue against this theory). More likely, it was forged in the Louisiana Bayou.

          Either way, the 25-year-old's preternatural confidence and poise took on a life of their own when he was handed the keys to an NFL franchise back home in Ohio.

          It's within the previously mundane confines of Paul Brown Stadium, in the thick of "The Jungle," that the football player formerly known as Joe Burreaux transformed into the Tiger King, Joey Franchise, Joe Shiesty, Jackpot Joey, Joe Brrr, Smokin' Joe and a slew of other nicknames.

          From victory cigars to love for Kid Cudi, here are all the reasons Joey B's swag is unmatched:

          He knows how to celebrate life's sweeter moments

          In 2019, the Bayou's adopted son was famously photographed enjoying a post-win cigar outside the locker room at Mercedes-Benz Superdome after leading the LSU Tigers to a 42-25 win over the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

          When the Bengals secured their first playoff appearance in six years with a 34-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Burrow took the liberty of smoking another victory cigar.

          Adding to the sense of nostalgia, the celebratory locker room cigar was enjoyed alongside Burrow's former LSU teammate and current Cincinnati standout receiver Ja'Marr Chase.

          The cigar smokin' ritual reached new heights after the AFC Championship Game when Burrow's and Chase's dads celebrated their sons' win together.

          Smokin' Jay Cutler walked so Smokin' Joe Burrow could run.

          He rides for his home state

          If you're a Kid Cudi fan, you likely gained a new level of respect for Burrow the moment he said he listens to "New York City Rage Fest" before every game. It was an answer that revealed there is depth to the QB's fandom for the Cleveland-born rapper whom he described as "one of my idols growing up."

          When Cudi reached out to congratulate Burrow on taking the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI and asked him for the game jersey from Cincinnati's overtime victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Burrow quickly obliged.

          Upon receiving the grass-stained, game-worn No. 9, Cudi shared an image of his gift from the QB who hails from southeast Ohio, complete with a meaningful two-word inscription: "Ohio Love."

          He reps his WRs hard

          In the wise words of James Taylor, "shower the people you love with love." On Jan. 2, Jackpot Joey showed up to the stadium ahead of his team's showdown with the Chiefs donning a T-shirt with the faces of his top three pass catchers on the front: Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins.

          The wideout-inspired fit prompted one fan to tweet "Bengals by 30 based off of this and this alone."

          The people's QB.

          That same day, after the Bengals secured the win and the AFC North title, Burrow sang Chase's praises in his postgame news conference saying, "If you're going to play him one-on-one, a lot of times it's going to be a long day for you. He's a great player, and he's going to be a great player for a long time."

          Then he borrowed a line from a now well-known meme. "F--- it," Burrow said. "Ja'Marr's down there somewhere. I'm just gonna throw it up to him and he's gonna make a play.'"

          He looks out for the people who look out for him

          Burrow doesn't just keep himself iced out with custom jewelry. When the holiday season arrived, the young QB knew how he intended to spread some cheer among those who held him down all season, by gifting all 13 offensive linemen on the team's roster (practice squad players included) diamond-crusted Casio G-Shock watches.

          According to jeweler Leo Frost, who worked with Burrow on the aforementioned JB9 chain, Burrow called about a month before Christmas to get the upscale G-Shocks in the works. Frost used 14-carat worth of diamonds and placed them in a white gold pave setting around the face of the watch. The back of each Casio GM6900SCM-1 that retails at $210 had the recipient's name engraved on it.

          Your QB would never.

          He keeps it real

          Joe Shiesty has never been one to mince words. After beating Kansas City in the AFC title game, Burrow was asked whether he still believes Cincinnati is an underdog. His response came with a dash of shade and a touch of sarcasm when he said, "We beat, in my opinion, the second-best team in the AFC, twice, in January. I think if we didn't prove it today, I don't know how else you prove it."

          While it's not improbable Chiefs fans took offense to the "second-best team" comment, the win-loss column don't lie.

          Later that day, Burrow maintained the same matter-of-fact tone when asked if the diamonds in his icy JB9 chain were, in fact, real. "They're definitely real," he replied with a nervous laugh, proceeding with caution. "I think I make too much money to have fake ones."

          The QB's demeanor when speaking with the media has been the same all season. Like in December when he seemingly hit his hometown with a sneak diss regarding a lack of night life while talking about his team's ability to adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

          He also used his time at the podium to forbade would-be robbers from coming for his Heisman Trophy in his basement. "It's in my house," Burrow said. "... Locked up -- safely, out there for all the burglars out there who might want to come."

          He took a hard stance on Skyline

          Ah, yes, the great Skyline Chili debate. When it comes to the non-conventional chili concoction native to Cincinnati, Ohio, people can get pretty deep in their feelings. If you ask anyone who has eaten at the chain of Cincinnati-style chili restaurants for their thoughts on the cuisine (which contains both chocolate and cinnamon and is served over unseasoned spaghetti under an enormous mountain of unnaturally orange, shredded cheddar cheese), you are unlikely to get a noncommittal answer in reply.

          Despite this fact, Burrow publicly declaring his stance on the matter felt risky -- and prompted a hearty dose of online vitriol in his direction when his tweets resurfaced after he was drafted by the Bengals.

          While Burrow later amended his take to say he would be willing to give it another shot, he never ran back his tweets.

          As the kids would say, we stan a QB with conviction.

          The GOAT admires his toughness

          You would be hard-pressed to find a QB more unafraid of contact than Burrow. As Boyd put it, "He's as tough as it comes."

          It's an attribute that will surely be put to the test on Sunday when facing off with the Los Angeles Rams and some guy named Aaron Donald, but we digress.

          His toughness earned the admiration of Tom Brady, who hosted Burrow on his "Let's Go!" podcast after the Bengals beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. Brady praised Burrow's ability to take a hit, get back up and keep rolling.

          "The way that we can show our toughness is to stand in the pocket and make throws," Brady said. "And sometimes you get the s--- knocked out of you and you gotta get up and just go on to the next play."

          King James recognizes he's the 'absolute TRUTH'

          One minute you're 17 years old and rocking a form-fitting No. 23 Cleveland Cavaliers jersey, the next you're leading the Bengals on a Super Bowl run and LeBron James is tweeting your praises.

          The Cudi exchange was just one of the "surreal moments" to unfold for Joe Cool recently. On Jan. 30, LeBron tweeted that Burrow is a "generational talent" and the "absolute TRUTH." The Los Angeles Lakers superstar also seemingly anointed Smokin' Joe as a king by tweeting this picture with a crown emoji.

          While Burrow remains unfazed by his football successes (duh), the famously unbothered QB did concede that processing his newfound popularity has been a different story.

          He fights to combat food insecurity issues

          It's not just Joey B's attitude or fashion choices that have contributed to the athlete's growing celebrity, but the way he uses said swag for good.

          In December 2019, during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, Burrow mentioned the issue of hunger in Athens County, Ohio where he spent the majority of his childhood. He didn't realize the massive impact his words would have in driving generous donations to anti-hunger efforts in Athens County. A fundraiser sparked by Burrow's comments elicited roughly $650,000 in donations.

          Today, Burrow continues to support the Athens County Food Pantry and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio through the establishment of the Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund. The fund has amassed $1.3 million, according to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.

          Last week, Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE) announced it had donated $2,000 to the fund in honor of Burrow's "leadership on and off the field." Smaller amounts regularly come in from "creative and consistent" Cincinnati fans, whose gifts are often symbolic: $9 for Burrow's jersey number or $31 for the number of years it had been since the Bengals won a playoff game. Fans from opposing teams even join in to support the cause. A post on a Facebook page for fans of the AFC rival Chiefs encouraged donations of $10 to the fund in honor of Burrow and Chase (whose jersey numbers, 9 and 1 respectively, add up to 10).

          "I'm so grateful for the outpouring of support from people across the country around the food insecurity issues faced by those in my region," Burrow said in a release in July of 2020. "The initial funds that were raised have had an immediate impact for people throughout Athens County, and I am honored to lend my support and voice to this new initiative that will ensure that impact lasts long into the future."