Blue-Eyed Soul Football: Is Joe Burrow The New Joe Namath For The Culture?

Super Bowl Sunday is a day full of anticipation, and it’s even more so this year.

With quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford at the helm, the game is a battle of attrition between big-game newbies. However, one of the quarterbacks has another legacy to fill for the culture: the swag QB possibility.

Since the world started paying attention to Joe Burrow the NFL player, he has brought back the fly quarterback. Now Joe Burrow has been the recipient of Broadway Joe vibes and everything that comes with being perceived as a cultural leader at the QB position.

However, Joe Namath himself is skeptical of seating someone on his indomitable throne.

“Oh, that’s a stretch, you know? He’s got a way to go to catch up to me about being slick, man,” Namath said to the New York Post.

Namath sported fur coats in the 1960s and was the epitome of NFL cool in the league’s early days. Burrow mimicked the vibe, whether intentional or accidentally, rocking his fur coat, Cartier glasses, and jewelry.

Still, Namath takes his era personally and feels no one can touch it.

“You know what? I haven’t seen it yet,” Namath continued. “If I did, it was not a good picture; it didn’t do the coat justice. And that was only today. I got a flash of it, maybe he was walking somewhere, but I really didn’t get a good look at it.”

Namath is the original quarterback cool, but Burrow is encroaching closely behind in style and athletic performance.

Burrow was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

He is expected to be the first quarterback ever drafted to start a Super Bowl within his first two seasons when the Bengals square off against the Rams on Sunday.

Burrow is also the third quarterback selected in the first NFL draft round to start a Super Bowl within his first two seasons in NFL history. He joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (Super Bowl XIX) and Ben Roethlisberger (Super Bowl XL) with the distinction, but he stands alone in today’s current crop of quarterbacks.

Joe Burrow Leads Bengals To First AFC Championship Game Since 1988 | He’s Got The Juice

Case in point, when the Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in an AFC wild-card matchup, not only did they end their 31-year playoff drought, but Burrow displayed a finesse at the postgame press conference that went viral.

Rocking Cartier shades effortlessly, when the media asked Burrow if the glasses held any importance, his response was a classic case of unbothered.

“Oh, no, I just think they’re pretty cool; what do you think?” he answered, laughing.

Joe Burrow Leads Bengals To First AFC Championship Game Since 1988 | He’s Got The Juice

During his rookie season, Burrow wore a custom suit to each game, and he has shown solidarity with his teammates by wearing a T-shirt featuring pictures of his three top wide receivers, Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins.

Like R&B crooners Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke, Burrow unintentionally mimics Joe Namath with the blue-eyed soul that gives a crossover appeal to football and, on the heels of a Super Bowl, might usher in a new generation of style.

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