It wasn’t totally clear if La’el Collins would sign with the Cincinnati Bengals, especially when word of his visit ending leaked.
But that just gave him some time to meet fans out and about the city.
Before signing his three-year deal with the team, Collins actually ran into some fans at Kenwood Mall and snapped some photos that went viral instantly.
That love he felt from the city during the back-and-forth between his reps and the team is something he addressed with the media quickly, as captured by Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“This fan base has been amazing. They embraced me since I got on my flight (from Dallas) here.
“It means so much to me to feel that love and appreciation for me as a player and respect for knowing what I bring to the table and I’m just looking forward to making sure they can get a return on the investment. I can’t wait.”
It was pretty clear from the jump that Cincinnati was the perfect fit for Collins for a whole host of reasons. But the fact fans showed out well in public when they accidentally ran into him probably sure didn’t hurt the team’s chances.
As Collins said, now Joe Burrow’s got a new bodyguard in town.
