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Ben Baby
CINCINNATI — Last year, Joe Burrow said he was in a weapons mindset when he gifted his offensive linemen genuine samurai swords.
This year, he was in his prehistoric era. Because it turns out, fossils are indeed always on Burrow’s mind.
For his holiday gift to his teammates this year, the Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback gave them authentic dinosaur, bear and mammoth fossils. It was a present that was not only greatly appreciated, but also indicative of who Burrow is.
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«I think it speaks to his intelligence and interests and his desire to do something unique,» Bengals center Ted Karras told ESPN on Friday. «I thought it was really special.»
On Monday, Burrow invited players over to his home in Cincinnati. When they arrived, they were greeted with an array of old bones mounted on displays at Burrow’s residence. Players selected their fossil of choice depending on when they arrived and their seniority compared to others.
Karras picked the tusk of a woolly mammoth, a piece that archeologists estimated to be about 30,000 years old. Bengals offensive tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims each took home cave bear skulls. A Tyrannosaurus rex artifact that went to rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild was also included among the gifts.
Burrow’s love of fossils gained national acclaim during a clip from the Netflix series «Quarterback,» which chronicled Burrow, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins during the 2024 season.
Last year, Burrow and a few teammates went to the Field Museum in Chicago and observed several rare fossils, including one believed to belong to an Archaeopteryx. Naturally, Burrow was pumped.
«When aren’t fossils on your mind?» Burrow said in that «Quarterback» episode. «They go back millions of years. That’s sick.»
During his news conference on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, Burrow didn’t want to reveal what he got the offensive linemen as gifts. But he assured reporters that they were excellent choices.
Reactions from his teammates, such as Brown, confirmed that. In previous stops, Brown has received stellar gifts in what has become customary in NFL locker rooms around Christmas. In addition to quarterbacks recognizing the offensive linemen tasked with protecting them during the season, position groups will have variations of a gift exchange, ranging from a white elephant-style selection process to an assigned secret Santa.
Early in his career at Baltimore, Brown said he received a slushie machine from Joe Flacco, who is currently Cincinnati’s backup quarterback after the Bengals traded for him when Burrow was hurt earlier this season. Brown also was gifted a Rolex watch and Rimowa luggage from Patrick Mahomes during his stint in Kansas City.
Burrow’s fossil gifting is out of the typical realm of what is given to teammates. But Brown is excited to display his bear skull next to his sword.
«It says a lot about who he is — his personality, his heart, all of those things, man,» Brown said. «He’s just a special person.»
Things haven’t gone as planned for Burrow this season. He missed nine games while he recovered from turf toe surgery. Cincinnati (5-10) will not make the playoffs for the third straight season. Burrow has been vocal about finding joy and happiness in the game amid the trying season.
But things have been better in recent days. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week following his four-touchdown outing in a win over the Miami Dolphins, a game in which he said it was «good to get a win and play well and find some happiness.»
With this year’s holiday gifts, the two-time MVP finalist was able to bring his teammates some of that joy as the year winds down.
«It was quite an event, man,» Karras said. «He just continues to outdo himself as always with his kindness and generosity and his creativity. We’re just very thankful for him.»
