The NFL is in the entertainment business.
It delivers a product that millions of fans tune into every week. Even during the offseason, events like the draft, the combine, and the first wave of free agency generate enough news to drown out baseball scores and NBA updates.
And then there are the jerseys.
Fans of every team buy them. Home, away, alternate. Throwbacks. Limited editions. Special releases. Entire walls of every pro shop and sporting goods store in America are dedicated to them.
And I own way too many.
I can only wear one at a time, and on game days, I have a personal rule: I only wear jerseys of active players. (That tradition has not always worked out in my favor.)
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to collect a few signed ones, too. I have jerseys signed by Ken Anderson and Chad Johnson. I have a signed Tee Higgins No. 85. I have a signed “Salute to Service” jersey from Vontaze Burfict.
And I have a signed Irv Smith Jr. jersey that I won.
We’ll come back to that.
This column isn’t really about the signed jerseys, though. It’s about the ones that aren’t signed and aren’t worn anymore.
We all have them.
I have a Rey Maualuga jersey. I have a Carson Palmer jersey. I have a Carlos Dunlap jersey. My wife has a Geno Atkins jersey, along with ones from Sam Hubbard and Kevin Huber.
And they’re all just… there.
So what do we do with them?
It feels sacrilegious to throw them away. I could donate them, but I’ve always had trouble getting rid of anything — especially something that once brought me so much joy.
And yes, the Bengals still somehow manage to bring me joy.
Do you throw yours away? Drop them off at Goodwill? Try to sell them at a yard sale? I can’t imagine there’s much of a market for a jersey belonging to a player who isn’t even in the league anymore, especially one that isn’t signed.
I know this isn’t a real problem, but I am genuinely curious if I’m the only one with a closet full of Bengals jerseys that I refuse to throw away, donate, sell, or wear.
So let me hear from you.
What’s the most random Bengals jersey you own? What do you do with your jerseys when the player on the back leaves in free agency or retires?
And while we’re at it, I’d also like to know if anyone out there has a worse signed jersey than me.
Because my signed Irv Smith Jr. jersey has somehow become a point of pride.
Randomness
- Free agency is coming, and I really hope the Bengals prioritize locking up guys like Dalton Risner — and a few other pending free agents — before they start shopping outside the building.
- The team will have plenty of cap space to work with. Whether they spend it wisely is the only real question.
- Picking at No. 10, the Bengals are almost guaranteed to land someone who can help immediately. Every draft has surprises, and every year, at least one player falls further than expected.
- Trading back is also on the table, especially if it means adding picks — or even a player — while still landing an impact contributor.
- Trey Hendrickson’s franchise tag situation remains one of the biggest storylines. On one hand, he’ll be 32 and is coming off an injury-filled season. On the other, the Bengals aren’t going to find a better pass rusher for less money in free agency.
- That money could be used elsewhere, though.
- There’s also the tag-and-trade option. A first- or second-round pick seems unlikely, but a third-rounder isn’t out of the question for a team desperate for veteran pass rush help.
- The Super Bowl is back in SoFi Stadium in 2027. Just sayin’
- I haven’t been a huge Olympics guy in the past, but the 2026 Winter Olympics were awesome to watch, even events I’ve never paid much attention to, like figure skating and skiing. I’m excited to see the Summer Olympics, and flag football, in 2028. Did you watch? If so, what did you think?
If you want to destroy my sweater
Hold this thread as I walk away
Watch me unravel, I’ll soon be naked
Lying on the floor, lying on the floor, I’ve come undone
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