Kyle Shanahan Highlights Joe Burrow Needing to 'Chill Out' During Fanatics Flag Football Classic

Bengals fans and the organizational brass were watching the first Fanatics Flag Football Classic on pins and needles last month. That's what you get when a hypercompetitor like Joe Burrow suits up in one of these events.

He doesn't seem to ever take it easy during competition, and that continued in his time with the FFC Wildcats, coached by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. The coach appeared on Pro Football Talk this week and highlighted how crazy competitive Burrow was during the event and in practices leading up.

Chilllllll

Mar 21, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Wildcats FFC quarterback Joe Burrow throws the ball during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"I grabbed him one time, and I'm like 'dude, just chill out, man,'" Shanahan said to Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur on the show. "I remember in our first practice, Logan Paul ran full speed to try and grab his flag, and he made a move, and they kinda collided. I'm just sitting there like 'oh my god, we got YouTubers running into quarterbacks.'"

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor couldn't even bring himself to watch.

"I pretended like it wasn't happening until it was over. So thankful we got through it and we're good, and we'll move forward and get ready for our season now," Taylor said at this week's annual NFL Spring Meeting. "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."

Burrow surely has some outside hope of playing for the Olympic Flag Football team in 2028 after scoring over five touchdowns in the Classic. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin discussed it all in February.

"Sometimes they're about football, and sometimes they're about other opportunities he might be having that he wants to visit on and talk about or ask permission for or whatever," Bengals Tobin noted at the 2026 NFL Combine about Burrow letting the organization know he was playing flag football. "He's good to work with, and I find it enjoyable when I get to visit with him."

All in all, Burrow got to have some fun out west, and nothing went wrong in the process. Still, with all the injuries he's had on the real football field in his career, it's no surprise that those relying on him get a little hesitant about these scenarios.

Check out the full segment with Shanahan on Pro Football Talk below:

A great interview with Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur

• Kyle wouldn’t have wanted Brock Purdy to play in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic after he saw Joe Burrow taking a shot during practice

• Matt enjoyed watching Kyle’s team get their ass kicked on TV in the flag… pic.twitter.com/uGQi7z4Hnt
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) March 31, 2026

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