Hanging in the locker of Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton is an autographed Chad Johnson jersey. While speaking with gathered media members in front of the locker, Burton explained the jersey’s presence.
“I got this at the NFL Rookie Premiere,” Burton explained. “It wasn’t signed at the time, but Ocho came down for one of our spring practices and I told him he had to sign it before he left.”
More than just a piece of memorabilia though, Burton is excited about the opportunity to potentially learn from and pick the brain of one of the best pass-catchers in franchise history.
“He’s funny. He’s really outgoing,” Burton said of Johnson. “It’s not hard to talk to him. He still has a great knowledge of the game of football, and same thing with T.J. Houshmandzadeh when I’m working with him. So, it’s kind of dope talking to both of those guys.”
Why is there a Chad jersey hanging in Jermaine Burton’s locker?
The #Bengals rookie wide receiver tells us the story behind it. pic.twitter.com/1PtZVfwWSX
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) July 29, 2024
Having two of the best receivers in franchise history in Johnson and Houshmandzadeh to learn from is a pretty nice luxury for Burton, who hopes to be one day mentioned in the same sentence as those guys when it comes to his impact on the franchise. Plus, Burton also gets to pick up tricks from current star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, so he has plenty of excellent resources to lean on as a rookie.
Johnson’s advice to Burton
Johnson, specifically, has been a voice of support for Burton since he was selected by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Shortly after Burton was selected, Johnson shared a welcome message for the new receiver, congratulating him and letting him know how lucky he is to get to suit up in front of the fans in Cincinnati.
“First off, congrats on this incredible night,” Johnson said. “All your hard work and your dedication to your craft has gotten you to this point, and there’s no better city to start it in than Cincinnati. I was fortunate enough to play 10 seasons here and the organization and the fanbase, to this day, still show me love.”
Johnson also shared some sound advice for the 22-year old Burton, advising him to maintain his work ethic and passion for the game.
“Keep putting that work in, and most importantly, don’t let the business side of things take away from the joy of the game,” he said. Lastly, I’ll leave you with this: When it’s all said and done, what type of player do you want to be remembered as?”
Johnson clearly knows what it takes to be a productive — and beloved — pass-catcher in Cincinnati, so Burton would be smart to heed Johnson’s advice in order to try to follow in his footsteps. If Burton can even come close to having the type of career that Johnson had with the Bengals, he’ll be remembered very fondly in Cincinnati when his playing days are over.
