The Force is not very strong with a viral photo going around of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow with Anakin Skywalker-approved long hair.
The photo in question shows Burrow in his Bengals uniform with unusually long, curly hair that makes him look like Hayden Christensen as Anakin from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
Does Burrow actually look like the former Jedi-turned-Sith Lord? Your hopes up, don’t get.
The photo immediately sparked as many great Star Wars jokes as you could possibly hope for, but the new hairdo is most likely a Photoshop and not how Burrow actually looks right now.
TRENDING: #Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow with very long hair pic.twitter.com/oEoEQwyK5b
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 20, 2024
The Bengals’ team website shared photos of Burrow’s latest haircut as recently as May 16, which is nowhere near as long as the photo going viral. Here’s a screenshot of one of those snapshots.
Also, a video from Thursday shows Burrow wearing a hat and coaching up rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton. His hair does not look nearly that long under the cap he’s got on.
Just two JB's hanging out. pic.twitter.com/f8EDiYNwN4
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 20, 2024
This video from earlier this month also provides great context into how Burrow’s hair would not have grown to that length in less than a month compared to where it was on May 6, when it was cut pretty normally.
"Joey Burrow's hair and throw look DAMN good! Mid-season form maybe."
—@patmcafeeshow says things are looking good in Cincinnati as Joe Burrow takes the field for Bengals training 🤩 pic.twitter.com/H9RpSAO92r
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 6, 2024
As much as we wish that hairdo was real, the best chance is that it’s just a fun Photoshop of what may be one day if Burrow keeps growing it out.
At the least, maybe the Bengals quarterback has some inspiration for a Halloween costume?