Former No. 1 NFL draft pick has some advice for Joe Burrow. ‘Pull an Eli Manning.’
Steve Bartkowski believes Joe Burrow should “pull an Eli Manning” to avoid starting his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bartkowski personally delivered the message to Burrow’s family during a Davey O’Brien Award event on Sunday night in Fort Worth. Bartkowski, the No. 1 overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 1975, received the Davey O’Brien Legends Award this year.
“They’re Ohio guys,” Bartkowski said. “I might’ve offended them by telling them that, if it’s the Bengals, I think I’d pull an Eli Manning on that one. I said, you’ve got a chance to do that. That’s happened. [John] Elway kind of set the tone, then the Mannings delved into it after Eli was picked by San Diego.”
Yes, Manning was the No. 1 overall choice by the then-San Diego Chargers in 2004 before forcing a trade to the New York Giants. Elway was drafted by the then-Baltimore Colts with the No. 1 pick in 1983 before being traded to the Denver Broncos.
The Bengals have never won a Super Bowl in their history, and have long been viewed as a dysfunctional franchise under owner Mike Brown. That’s why Bartkowski would advise Burrow to avoid it.
“It’s not the best organization,” he said. “You know, times change, things change. Atlanta wasn’t a good organization until Arthur Blank bought the team. It was a terrible organization. They didn’t know the right hand from the left to be honest.
“I know what it’s like to go to a bottom-feeder team. I’d hate to see that happen to him to be honest. They beat me up. I spent more time at the hospital recuperating from injuries my first three years than I did throwing touchdowns. It was tough.”
As far as Burrow is concerned, he refused to tip his hand on his thoughts about going to the Bengals. He’s an Ohio kid and would likely enjoy playing in his home state.
But he has to weigh that with what’s best for his football future, acknowledging he has played well enough to garner leverage throughout the process.
“I do have leverage,” Burrow said. “They have their process and I have my process. We haven’t even gotten to the (NFL) combine yet. There’s a lot of things that happen leading up to the draft and a lot of information gathered.
“Right now, I’m focused on being the best football player I can be. I’m in this unique spot. You can go watch my film. I don’t have to prove myself at pro day and at the combine, so I’m in a unique spot where I can focus on getting ready for the year.”
For now, Burrow is training in Southern California with quarterbacks coach Jordan Palmer, who played with the Bengals. So did Palmer’s older brother, Carson, the No. 1 pick by the Bengals in 2003.
Carson Palmer recently ripped the Bengals for not being driven to win a Super Bowl, but Burrow said he’s yet to talk with them about the organization.
“If we do have the conversation, it’ll happen down the road,” Burrow said. “We’re super focused. I’ve only been there a week. It’s all ball right now.”
The NFL Draft is set for April 23-25 in Las Vegas.
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 6:04 PM.
