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          Burrow, Chase relishing New Orleans return: 'It's a place that a lot of good memories were made'

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterOct 14, 2022, 06:00 AM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase remembered what it was like following one of the best moments of his playing career.

          And it smelled terrible.

          The aroma of cigar smoke filled the locker room of the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans following LSU’s win over Clemson in the national championship game in January 2020. Chase, who is not a cigar smoker, gave his away while teammates such as quarterback Joe Burrow puffed in celebration of a marquee night.

          When the Bengals play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Chase and Burrow will make their return to the Superdome for the first time since that national championship game.

          “It’s a place that a lot of good memories were made,” Burrow said Wednesday. “But, it’s a business trip. We’re going in to win a game.”

          LSU’s 42-25 victory over Clemson sealed the legacy for Burrow, Chase and the Tigers’ 2019 team that went undefeated and won its first national title since 2007.

          The location of the game is significant for multiple reasons. The Superdome is 81 miles southeast of Tiger Stadium, where Burrow and Chase played together for two seasons. It’s also roughly 10 minutes away from Archbishop Rummel, where Chase attended high school.

          Bengals wide receiver Stanley Morgan, another New Orleans native, underscored the Superdome’s added significance for those who grow up in Louisiana. The stadium is the home of the state’s high school football state championships.

          “That’s where you want to finish your last game every year,” Morgan said. “That’s a big dream for everybody from New Orleans. You want to finish that last game in 'Dome.”

          Chase, Burrow and Morgan won’t be the only ones returning to New Orleans on Sunday. Cincinnati’s defense has three former Saints players on the roster -- safety Vonn Bell, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and cornerback Eli Apple. Cincinnati could also face Saints quarterback Andy Dalton, who played his first nine seasons with the Bengals before the franchise drafted Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 draft.

          Morgan’s fondest memory of the venue came when his youth football team was invited to participate in a game during halftime of a Saints preseason game against the Bengals. As a 12-year-old, he stood next to former Cincinnati star Chad Johnson during the national anthem.

          Chase and Burrow’s memories are a bit more raucous.

          After LSU won the national championship, the Tigers broke out the cigars to toast the win. However, the smoke drew some unwanted attention.

          “We started smoking them and the cops come in, because I guess you’re not allowed to smoke inside or whatever and they start trying to arrest people,” Burrow said on “The Full Send” podcast published in August.

          Burrow recalled the incident during his news conference Wednesday. He also said he was unaware of the camera that snapped the viral photo of Burrow smoking his cigar during a quiet moment before his postgame news conference.

          Burrow laughed when asked if he had it framed at home.

          “I don't make it a habit of putting pictures of myself up in the house,” Burrow said with a smile.

          The locker room was also filled with a few NFL dignitaries such as Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and former All-Pro receiver Odell Beckham Jr., an LSU alumnus. Beckham was infamously cited for handing out money to players after the game. After initially claiming the money was fake, LSU eventually issued self-imposed NCAA sanctions because of the incident and banned Beckham for two years.

          While Beckham reveled in the win, Elliott was waiting for Chase by his locker. The first meeting between them involved some usual small talk. Chase and Elliott now share agents and vacationed together in the offseason.

          All of it made the atmosphere so memorable.

          “That s--- was crazy, I ain’t gonna lie,” Chase said. “That was probably one of the best wins that I’ve actually enjoyed. That was a great win to enjoy after the season. Seeing all of the celebs in there, that was cool seeing those guys that were going to be in the league with me the very next year.”

          And even though Burrow and Chase won’t be playing for a Louisiana team on Sunday, the reception should still be warm inside one of the stadiums where they have been cheered the loudest.

          “I’m excited to go back excited to see all the fans that supported me,” Burrow said. “But they’re not going to be cheering for us this time.”