Joe Burrow has returned from his offseason travels talking about the special something crackling through Paycor Stadium this spring. Back home in Ohio Monday, the presence of his boyhood hero and fellow Buckeye Kid Cudi cranked a big-time offseason even higher.
The Kid is a Bengal even though he was born in Cleveland 42 years ago. On Monday, he wore a Bengals jersey with that '84 birth year and discovered there were two people at the practice field who attended Shaker Heights High School. The Kid and Bengals president Mike Brown.
"That's dope," said Scott Mescudi.
Mescudi, a towering figure of versatility in the music industry, kept it in Ohio over the weekend on his Rebel Ragers Tour at Riverbend. He caught up with Burrow Monday because they always do.
"It's always fun to see him. He meant a lot to me when I was a kid," said Burrow, finally used to the idea he's friends with one of his idols and texts with him regularly. "It was certainly a shock at the beginning. Now it's just life."
Life is good for Burrow these days. He's able to merge an L.A. offseason and a Met Gala appearance with trips home to Athens, as he did this past weekend.
"I love Ohio," he'll tell you, and Monday was definitely an ode to his roots. Participating in a social media exercise, Burrow stayed with "Mr. Rager," for his favorite Kid Cudi song. From Mescudi's 2010 _Man on the Moon II_ album, Burrow has had that in his pre-game ears since he was hoping to play some cornerback for the Athens varsity.
"He's always been a supporter of mine for a while. I remember when he was in the draft. Remember?" The Kid asked Dennis Cummings, his manager. "And I gave him a little shoutout. So exciting."
Six years later, it still is in this part of Ohio. Burrow is pumped about what the Bengals did to their defense over the offseason and what it means for head coach Zac Taylor's eighth season.
"They're going to keep getting great players to come play for the Bengals, and when they do that, then it's my job and Zac's job and the leaders of this team to bring the locker room together and then go execute on the field," Burrow said. "We have everything we need.