Steve Bartkowski isn’t going to be the most popular guy in the greater tri-state area anytime soon.
Bartkowski, the No. 1 pick in 1975 by the Atlanta Falcons, was part of the proceedings Monday when LSU quarterback Joe Burrow received the Davey O’Brien Award.
And he used the platform to tell Burrow and his family he should pull an Eli Manning and avoid the Cincinnati Bengals, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Drew Davison:
“They’re Ohio guys. 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.”
The fact Bartkowski thinks he might’ve offended in doing so says a lot on its own. Burrow’s family has repeatedly pushed back on the narrative he doesn’t want to pay for the Bengals, including doing so again Monday.
Bartkowski does have experience with this sort of situation. But a top-flight prospect going to a bad team isn’t anything new given the nature of the draft. Prospects pulling an “Eli” is a rare occurrence for a reason and it feels especially unlikely a prospect like Burrow would do so after growing up a few hours away from Cincinnati.
If there’s a former No. 1 pick Burrow will probably listen to, it’s Carson Palmer. The former Bengals No. 1 pick was told by many to avoid Cincinnati. His brother, Jordan, is now training Burrow before the combine.
