Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals haven’t had the best season in 2025. The team is sitting at 5-10 entering Week 17, and will, unfortunately, miss the playoffs once again.
However, the struggles of the season didn’t prevent the Bengals from getting in the Christmas spirit. It’s a tradition for quarterbacks to give their offensive linemen generous gifts for Christmas, but Burrow might have just given the most unique gifts we’ve heard of.
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Joe Burrow Gives Authentic Fossils to Offensive Linemen
Over the years, we’ve seen many unique gifts given by quarterbacks to their offensive linemen. Typically, these gifts include items such as watches, gaming systems, furniture, or clothing.
However, Burrow went outside the box for his gifts. The star quarterback gave each of his linemen authentic dinosaur, bear, and mammoth fossils. The linemen appreciated the unique and thoughtful gifts.
“I think it speaks to his intelligence and interests and his desire to do something unique,” Bengals center Ted Karras said. “I thought it was really special.”
Burrow reportedly invited his teammates to his Cincinnati home, where they were greeted by a display of all of the fossils. Players selected their fossil of choice depending on when they arrived and their seniority compared to others.
Karras picked a 30,000-year-old woolly mammoth tusk, while Amarius Mims and Orlando Brown Jr. each took home cave bear skulls. Rookie Dylan Fairchild, meanwhile, took home a Tyrannosaurus rex artifact.
“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.”
Burrow’s love of fossils and prehistoric artifacts first came to light during his time on the Netflix series “Quarterback” in 2024. On an episode of the show, Burrow and his teammates went to the Field Museum in Chicago.
“When aren’t fossils on your mind?” Burrow said in that “Quarterback” episode. “They go back millions of years. That’s sick.”
Bengals Looking To End Season on Positive Note
The Bengals have now endured a few disappointing seasons in a row. In 2021, the team made it all the way to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
Then, in 2022, the team fell in the AFC Championship Game. Since then, the team has missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and will finish with a losing record again in 2025.
Burrow has only been able to play in six games due to injury, and the team has looked much better when he’s on the field. PFSN’s QB Impact ranking gives Burrow a 74.7 grade for his 2025 performance.
The team will now look to end on a positive note and hopes to get back to contention in 2026.