CINCINNATI — Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald got pulled in many directions during the week of the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles this past March.He co-commissioned the event, is an investor in the NFL’s future flag football league and a prominent voice promoting the potential impact of the sport.Despite an illustrious 17-year career, he’d never spent real time around Joe Burrow before.During this event, however, Fitzgerald kept finding himself around the Bengals’ star quarterback: On the practice field, organizing players, doing publicity.The event, which moved from Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles at the last moment, required a scramble to pull off. Burrow not only agreed to participate but also led the charge in making calls to fill out the roster with as many of the league’s best players as possible.“Joe was doing all our jobs, too,” Fitzgerald said. “And playing.”Bengals fans will most remember their hearts skipping a beat watching Burrow twist, dive and slam into the ground during the exhibition, but Fitzgerald had a different lasting memory from a week around him.“I was with him after the event,” Fitzgerald said. “We were talking to Commissioner (Roger) Goodell. The ideas he has on growing flag and expanding things in the league — he takes ownership.”That’s right, Burrow held the ear of the commissioner. And he had ideas. Again.This wasn’t the first time they’d talked about plans. It won’t be the last. Burrow’s grown in prominence both inside and outside the league. Many will focus on the pictures from the Met Gala, Paris runways or even late-night blackjack with Jessica Alba.What struck Fitzgerald and, similarly, those who work at the league office in New York, was how much the introverted Burrow’s embracing of a public lifestyle was rooted in a passion to grow the game of football.Burrow’s off-field angles have always tracked as genuine, thoughtful and unique since the moment his Heisman speech concluded at LSU.On the surface, flag football might merely seem like a path toward the Olympics, supporting his strong partnership with Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin or a fun weekend dancing at the intersection of sport and celebrity. Sure, it was all those things. Those like Fitzgerald, however, who went deeper, witnessed a genuine passion for growing the game of football. More importantly, a willingness to put in the work necessary to make it happen.“It’s an exciting thing to be a part of, trying to grow football, whether it’s flag or tackle football, and I think one will go with the other,” Burrow said. “If one gets popular, the other one will as well.“And I’m gonna be a part of that.”Burrow isn’t just a face of the NFL; he wants to be.Maybe not for the reasons you might expect.When Burrow speaks, everyone listens: Teammates, coaches, ownership, media, fans. That list also includes NFL executives.So, when Burrow pushed to play in his first international game, be part of the Olympics, committed to a floundering Pro Bowl or showed up with ideas and support for the future of flag, well, he punctuated his permutation from player to partner.“We definitely notice it,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president, club business, international and league events. “We feel it, we see it.”Sports history is littered with stars lifting games to broader audiences and new frontiers. Michael Jordan and the Dream Team did it for global basketball. Tiger Woods for golf. Muhammad Ali changed boxing. Shohei Ohtani is doing it for baseball.Burrow could be part of similar growth for football. He may never play beyond the exhibition stage and flag football might need more than stars and momentum from the Olympics to catch on, but the league is putting as much money and force behind the growth of flag as almost any initiative at 345 Park Avenue.They’ve invested in growing it at the high school level, tournaments are held at NFL stadiums and they are part of the flag football league set to launch in 2027. They are pushing the product globally and, importantly, across the gender gap. The ability to loop more women into the sport through flag and promote a safer brand of the sport creates an exciting growth opportunity.As Burrow said himself, he’s going to be a part of that. At least, that’s part of his vision — one that the NFL shares with him.“We see it in his actions,” O’Reilly said. “The way he talks about — in really thoughtful ways — the growth of the game, the importance of flag, its role in the overall growth of our sport for girls and boys, both U.S. and internationally. The fact he talks about what the honor would be if he had the opportunity to represent his country in the flag. Obviously, he’s participated in flag in a number of ways. That voice and leadership from him as a huge star in the league means a lot.”When the league was beset by injuries and being turned down by quarterbacks asked to play for the AFC in the Pro Bowl this past year, the perception of the game was taking a beating as they were trotting out Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders as an AFC Pro Bowl quarterback.Joe Burrow stepped up to participate in the Pro Bowl Games in February when other quarterbacks passed. (Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)After several other QBs declined, Burrow committed. He played alongside teammates Joe Flacco, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, the flag football game morphing into a Bengals showcase.“He raised his hand,” O’Reilly said. “He said, ‘I want to be a part of it.’ That’s exactly what happened.”Burrow also raised his hand to play internationally. He pointed out on his social accounts and at press conferences over the last year that he would like to go global and the NFL was happy to oblige. They value putting stars in new, growing markets and tabbed Burrow and the Bengals to play the Atlanta Falcons in the league’s second-ever game in Madrid. Cincinnati will also be going international next year, locked in to giving up a home game.“What an incredible ambassador for the NFL, for football, his passion, his dedication to the sport, his leadership for the sport,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL EVP of media distribution. “His presence on and off the field, too, he’s one of those people who has global appeal.”Consequently, he’ll be one of the biggest stars of the second half of this season for the valued media partners.Sure, the Bengals open with seven consecutive 1 p.m. ET Sunday games, but over the final 11 games of the season, they play internationally, on Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Thursday Night Football’s New Year’s Eve finale and the sought-after late Sunday window at home against the Chiefs in December.None of these decisions came by chance, as is typical with Burrow. So much of his presence and willingness to serve as a face of the league reverts to a playbook he devised.While he rose to fame on the field, leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his second season with his face plastered across buildings and billboards in downtown Los Angeles, he started understanding a greater value in accepting the role of ambassador for the game.He recognized in a league full of players chasing contracts and self-promotion, taking on a larger role wouldn’t merely bring attention to himself, but to his causes, his passions, and more importantly, the small-market club that has since signed him to a $275 million contract.When did he first come to this conclusion?“I would say early-ish in my career, the first couple years, when you see how the league pushes certain teams and puts certain teams in big spots,” Burrow said. “Why they do what they do, studying that, and the teams that are in those positions year in and year out. There’s a reason for it, and that’s a position that I want the Bengals to be in.”Nebraska basketball was huge in Zac Taylor’s household all season. The Bengals head coach traveled with his son to watch his alma mater play at Michigan in the regular season and obsessed over their first trip to the NCAA tournament in three decades.So, it wasn’t a stretch for him to attend Nebraska’s second-round win against Vanderbilt on March 21.It also served as the ideal distraction while Burrow took competitiveness to the next level during the Fanatics flag event.“Fortunately, I was at the Nebraska-Vanderbilt game and pretended like it wasn’t happening until it was over,” Taylor said. “I probably called our trainer the first thing and made sure there was nothing going on and we were all good there.”There’s always going to be concern about Burrow’s health as long as he’s involved in any endeavor that could add to his lengthy injury history. The Bengals are well aware of Burrow’s desire to lead the way with flag football and why it’s so important to him.Finding the balance between chasing that passion and not putting the franchise at risk requires a few extra levels of conversation.“Those conversations are great,” Burrow said. “There were no qualms about me doing that, but if there were, then I wouldn’t have done it. So, there’s constant dialogue with (director of player personnel) Duke (Tobin) and Zac and everybody about things that I want to do, things that maybe I should or shouldn’t do.”As an example, one glance from Taylor at the participant list in the days before the event provided one of those things that maybe Burrow shouldn’t do.“I looked at the roster, I saw that maybe there weren’t enough defenders,” Taylor said. “And I said, ‘You’re not playing defense.’ He said, ‘Yeah, no problem. No defense.'”Bengals coach Zac Taylor has to ensure Joe Burrow is focused on being the franchise’s most important player while also allowing him to pursue endeavors outside the team. (Albert Cesare / Imagn Images)Burrow was true to his word, but before long, there he was running routes, tossing laterals and catching passes.“I should have known that that’s how that’s going to play out,” Taylor said. “There’s a lot of things you can’t plan for before you see the game happening. You don’t know how it’s going to play out. Obviously, you should all know, if Joe’s going to do something, he’s going to go all out and do it, he’s going to try to win, and that’s why we should love him.”Fitzgerald loved him, too, after taking in a few flag practice sessions with Burrow at the helm, the bigger picture all started to make sense as a fan from afar all these years.“After practice, he was running extra routes with guys,” Fitzgerald said. “I was like, ‘Joe, I see why you are All-Pro. That’s why you got that Heisman and you played in the Super Bowl.’ It’s very easy (to see).”Burrow has made clear his desire to play in the 2028 Olympics. NFL players will need to show they can beat the current professional flag players for that to even happen. The pros were outclassed in their first foray into flag at the Fanatics event. There are those inside and outside the NFL questioning whether pros should be part of the event. Much like his understanding of the game and willingness to work to improve at playing flag were obvious during the event, Burrow sees a path to becoming the best option for the United States.The NFL will be asking for expressions of interest from players over the next few weeks. Burrow understands that seasonal variables and his team’s feelings will be part of whether that happens, as well. Taylor dubbed it a problem for “Future Zac.” But the groundwork has clearly been laid.“Timing is everything,” Burrow said, “and those conversations kind of started this year, but there’s a long way to go until we get there.”A younger version of Burrow cringed at the spotlight and rebuffed the idea of expanding his public horizons outside of football.Those days are long gone.He grew up idolizing rapper Kid Cudi. Now, Cudi shows up at a Monday practice in May and Burrow gives him a dap and an invitation to the house.He’s as popular with Vanity Fair and Vogue as Sports Illustrated and SportsCenter. His relationships aren’t private, paparazzi track him, fans dissect his demeanor weekly, he schedules around photo shoots, blends in at the Met Gala and hears critiques of his attire at the Raising Cane’s suite at The Kentucky Derby.That’s merely life now.He’s no longer just a kid from Athens, Ohio.“I’m not sure I did more (to enjoy myself) than in the last couple years; it might just be a little more publicized now,” Burrow said. “You guys get to see a little more of it … Certainly, it is not anything new for me, as I get older and reflect on that, I get more and more comfortable in those positions. Obviously, it’s never going to be normal. It’s never going to feel normal, but I’m getting better at handling it.”Growing into a public figure and ambassador for a $23 billion industry requires maturity. Burrow feels every bit of it as he stares down his 30th birthday this December.Joe Burrow tries to elude a defender at the goal line during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)He’ll always be about winning football games. The work will always be the work in the building. In that respect, he’s the same guy today that stepped into the Bengals locker room for the first time during the pandemic in 2020.The world of opportunity and expectations around him changed. What he means to the NFL has changed.“I think there’s guys, and I’ve come to respect this over the years, they want to help the league and help the branding and keep eyes on the league and do what they can do … just trying to be an ambassador for the league, as well,” Taylor said. “I think he takes a lot of pride in that. That’s something I respect.” He’s still chasing a championship, but chasing so much more simultaneously. He’s chasing life experiences, passion projects, playing for his country, expanding his horizons, funding his causes and growing the sport.All those pieces form the complicated puzzle of Burrow’s latest evolution.“Certainly, you have to find some happiness outside of football in the time that you have,” Burrow said. “I want to play this game a long time, and it can’t just be football all day, every day; you have to find some other places that you can find fulfillment, especially as you get older. Football can be 24/7 for a while, but I’m closing in on 30, I gotta find some other places for that.”The Bengals and the NFL are happy to come along for the ride. As is everyone associated with flag football. Just as Fitzgerald witnessed firsthand in March, it doesn’t take long to understand the unique power of his ideas.“I’m glad he’s one of the faces of the National Football League and that he does care so much about the game and the people and the communities that he serves,” Fitzgerald said. “I wish more guys understood the big picture of what sports can do for you in terms of giving you a sense of community. As you see, social media kind of isolates. Everyone is on their phone watching their thing. Sports brings all of us together collectively to work on something that is bigger than ourselves. I think Joe kind of embodies that and understands it.”