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Ben Baby
Multiple Authors
CINCINNATI — One of Joe Burrow‘s childhood heroes was a visitor at Monday’s offseason workout.
Fresh off a concert in Cincinnati, Kid Cudi rolled through to catch Burrow and the Bengals as they ramp up their preparation for the upcoming season.
It should be no surprise that Cudi was a guest of honor. Burrow grew up a massive fan of the rapper, a Cleveland-area native who rose to prominence in the late 2000s. That was around the time that Burrow was a middle schooler in southeast Ohio.
But their relationship really started to take off at the end of the 2021 season, Burrow’s second year in the NFL. Before the Bengals played the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, the franchise’s most important matchup in 33 years, Cudi sent Burrow a personalized song.
“It was like, ‘Joe, hello, you need to know you got the glow, Joe,’ or something like that,” Cudi said in a March 2022 interview on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
Burrow gave Cudi his game-worn jersey from that win at Kansas City. And in the moments immediately following the victory, Burrow talked about how he was adjusting to a growing social profile.
“That part is surreal,” Burrow said in January 2022, adding that he listens to Cudi’s “New York City Rage Fest” before every game. “The football part, not so much. [But] that stuff is crazy.”
A couple of weeks later, Cudi performed at the Bengals’ Super Bowl wrap party following the team’s defeat by the Los Angeles Rams. Cudi later cut a track called “Burrow” that featured a slew of heavy hitters including Don Toliver and Steve Aoki and was produced by Dot Da Genius.
Burrow 👊 Kid Cudi pic.twitter.com/4vHBt1UQCz
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 18, 2026
A lot has changed for Burrow over the years. On the field, he has excelled when healthy. Burrow has been a two-time MVP finalist and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Last year, the Bengals went 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. Burrow missed nine games with a turf toe injury.
Though the team hasn’t gotten back to the same heights, Burrow has turned into one of the highest-profile quarterbacks in the NFL. His offseason exploits, from a weekend at the Kentucky Derby to being at the Met Gala, have received plenty of fanfare.
But as Burrow’s star power continues to grow as he enters his seventh season in the NFL, Monday was another reminder that some of his longtime Ohio bonds are still holding strong.
