Bengals QB Joe Burrow Finally Drops a Few Dollars on Himself
The scuttlebutt is that Joe Burrow has been proving to the Cincinnati Bengals that he grasps the playbook terminology and is making good adjustments to play-calls thus far in training camp. Doing so makes the difference between looking lost – a frequent issue for rookie quarterbacks – and looking like he’s in command.
Off the field, however, Burrow may not by grasping the lingo just yet. Recent evidence suggests that he has taken the expression “dressed to the nines” a little too literally.
Joe Burrow didn’t change his lifestyle after the NFL draft
The expression “dressed to the nines” is said to be three centuries old. It refers to someone being dressed quite stylishly, enhancing their appearance.
Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow has his own interpretation of what it should mean. Burrow had been living conservatively since the NFL team made him an instant millionaire in April by selecting the former LSU star No. 1 overall in the NFL draft.
Eschewing the hard-partying lifestyle of Johnny Manziel, whose pro career was the ultimate crash-and-burn, Burrow has remained fairly low-key life this spring and summer. One bit of insight into Burrow involves his behavior immediately after the draft.
Contracts under the collective bargaining agreement leave little room for actual negotiations. Rookies are slotted into narrow salary ranges based upon how high they are selected. Burrow and the Bengals took three months to reach an agreement. That was partly over some specific contract language but primarily because the Bengals wanted to see how the COVID-19 pandemic was playing out and the potential effect on the season. Plenty of teams took that approach.
In the interim, Burrow began signing endorsement deals that presumably fronted him some money. He could have also gone to his agent for an advance on his signing bonus, another common practice in the world of pro sports, and bought himself an expensive home before cashing his paycheck.
Instead, Burrow was still living in his old bedroom in his parents’ house, complete with Star Wars drapes.
Joe Burrow has bought himself a nice piece of bling
Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow has likely dropped a few bucks on clothes this summer. Many athletes like to look business-like off the field, which means buying a few quality suits and the usual accessories like shoes, cuff links, etc.
Well, Joe Burrow just took accessorizing to a whole new level for himself. A Houston jeweler traveled to Cincinnati to deliver an attractive bit of bling that the quarterback had ordered.
As reported by ESPN, Leo Frost dropped off an 18-carat white gold chain and an 18-carat white gold No. 9 pendant, which is Burrow’s jersey number. Frost did not disclose the price, but the estimated value of the jewelry is in the range of $25,000 to $30,000.
It’s an upgrade of a similar pendant that Burrow had been wearing since shortly after leading LSU to a national championship in January.
In an Instagram video, Burrow checks out his new acquisition and says, “That’s fresh.”
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback has a plan
Joe Burrow penned his name on a four-year contract at the end of July with the Cincinnati Bengals for a little more than $36 million, with just under two-thirds of the money distributed as his signing bonus.
He gave interesting insight into himself that day by divulging his plans for the windfall. In meeting with reporters, Burrow indicated that he would be stealing a page from Rob Gronkowski’s playbook.
Gronkowski, who is back in football with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a one-year retirement, says he has yet to spend any of his NFL paychecks. Instead, he has been living off the money he makes from endorsements and small business ventures.
Burrow told the media that he will take the same approach.
“I don’t plan on spending any contract money,” he said. “I’ll live off my marketing money. I’ll let the contract money accrue in the bank.”
