Joe Burrow arrived at Paycor Stadium looking like he was ready for a runway, not a season opener.
On Sunday morning, the Cincinnati Bengals posted a short tunnel video showing their quarterback walking through the stadium hallway before kickoff against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The clip was framed as a QB1 fit check, and Burrow’s outfit did not go unnoticed: a black collared shirt, wide cream trousers and black sneakers.
The Bengals were trying to hype their star. Instead, they handed fans a fresh target.
Burrow’s look set off a wave of jokes online, with one fan writing, “Always admire Joe Burrow’s ability to dress like a lesbian,” while another compared him to a boy-band throwback: “Joe Burrow looks like NSYNC’s long-lost sixth member showing up 27 years late for the Bye Bye Bye video shoot,”
“Is he ready to play QB or Dancing with the Stars 😆,” a third fan added.
Another comment took a sharper turn: “This needs to stop! Females should be the only cheerleaders”
The fashion chatter came just as Burrow and the Bengals opened their 2026 NFL regular season at home in a highly anticipated, sold-out Paycor Stadium. Cincinnati is coming off a losing season and is trying to get back to the form that carried the team to back-to-back AFC Championship Games.
Burrow’s return to the field also comes with something to prove after a rough 2025. A severe toe injury limited him to eight games, and his numbers dipped with it. He finished with 1,809 passing yards and 17 touchdowns.
Now healthy again, Burrow sounds locked in. Speaking on teammate Ja’Marr Chase’s podcast, he said, “I just want to win this year.”
That’s the message in Cincinnati. The clothes may have gotten the first reaction, but the quarterback’s focus is on getting the Bengals back where they want to be. With a rebuilt defense behind him, Burrow enters the season positioned to jump right back into the MVP conversation.
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Baker Mayfield Just Handed Bengals Fans A Brutal Reminder
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For Bengals fans, it was a familiar kind of relief after a summer of watching another teams big contract and big expectations attached to Mayfield in Tampa. His new three-year deal keeps him in place for the long haul, but Sunday was a reminder that even with that kind of security, the margin for error is still razor thin when the ball keeps coming loose. [Read more 🡒]