Joe Burrow paid tribute to Aaron Rodgers’ impact on his career in a heartfelt message before he pins his playoff hopes on the veteran quarterback.

The Cincinnati Bengals signal caller made no secret of his admiration for his New York Jets counterpart as he lauded the 41-year-old as the inspiration of his career. Burrow lauded the former Super Bowl champion’s influence over his game as well as revolutionizing the quarterback role during his near two-decade career.

Burrow and the Bengals will also be hoping for a favor from Rodgers on Sunday as the Jets take on the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Victory for the 4-12 Jets, while it would prove academic to their season, could seal the Bengals a playoff spot at the expense of the Dolphins.

“I’ve been a fan of his for a long time,” Burrow told CBS Sports following the Bengals’ Week 18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Watching him growing up, he was one of those guys that you love to watch. When Monday Night, Sunday Night Football came around, you were hoping that he was on it. Hopefully, he can help us out tomorrow and break out a big-time game for us.”

Just eight years old when Rodgers entered the NFL in 2005 as a first-round pick by the Green Bay Packers, Burrow grew up watching the veteran QB and eventually lined up against his hero in 2021 in their only NFL matchup. “Yeah, he did,” Burrow said when asked if Rodgers inspired him growing up.

“No. 1, I think he revolutionized how quarterbacks throw the football. I think the way that quarterbacks coaches coach it now is because of how he did it. I haven’t had a chance to sit down and talk to him about that, but would love to sit down and talk to him about his journey, with his throwing motion, how he figured that out.

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers could be set to play his final NFL games against the Miami Dolphins ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

“I think also, he’s a really good person to look up to as far as being yourself, and how to handle this whole fame and football thing. It’s not easy — you go through a lot of things and adversity. He seemed to stay the same through it all, and that’s something that I aspire to. You don’t have to agree with what everybody says or does to have admiration for how they do it.”

Following their matchup in 2021, Rodgers shared some advice to Burrow, who went on to lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl that year. “I will tell you the thing that I told him, which I’ve told other quarterbacks from time to time: ‘Slide. Slide,'” Rodgers said.

“I said, ‘You’re too damn talented, you got so much in front of you to accomplish in this league. Just sometimes you gotta slide. I would’ve said the same thing to Andrew (Luck). You know, Andrew initially got hurt in Indy being Superman and running guys over and stuff.”