It was a fun bit of buzz to point out that when he agreed to a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, free agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. had offers on the table from other teams that he declined.
Apparently one of his options was a reunion with Alabama teammate and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the Miami Dolphins.
But Smith instead chose Joe Burrow’s Bengals.
“I felt like Cincinnati had the best chance to win a Super Bowl,” Smith said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It’s a great organization. Great coaching staff. (Head coach) Zac Taylor was very adamant about me coming to the team knowing what I can do to help the offense. And the proof is in the pudding at the tight end position. Having a relationship with Ja’Marr (Chase), getting to play with Joe Burrow and those guys speaks for itself. I’ve watched a lot of Bengals games over the years. I wanted to be a part of this opportunity to chase a ring and be a part of something special … I feel like I’m almost the missing piece to get us that Super Bowl.”
It wasn’t just Burrow’s presence that wooed Smith on the idea of a one-year deal in Cincinnati, but he offered plenty of praise for his new quarterback, as expected.
Besides Burrow and the offense itself, Smith and Ja’Marr Chase go way back. They played in the New Orleans Catholic League years ago. Smith then watched Burrow and Chase at LSU after he went pro, then has seen plenty of them in the pros since.
Now they all team up in Cincinnati, with Smith hoping he’s a key part of a championship run. While he would have been a stellar fit in Miami on an understandable reunion tour with Tagovailoa too, the allure of the Bengals as a top destination strikes again.
