Even though it was Joe Burrow's birthday on Sunday, the Bengals quarterback was actually the one giving out gifts ... lending Jake Browning's friends and family his suite seats at Paycor Stadium.
The backup QB's longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Niles, his siblings and his hometown friends all made the trek from California to Cincinnati on Sunday in order to watch him start for the Bengals against the Colts -- and thanks to Burrow, they were able to get comfy while taking in the action.
Browning made sure to shout out Burrow's kind gesture after he locked up the 34-14 win over Indianapolis .... giving a big thank you to the injured signal-caller during his postgame press conference.
"Well, first of all, it is not my box," Browning said. "I did not buy that in the preseason -- it's very expensive."
"So, Joe Burrow was nice enough to give them some tickets so they didn’t have to sit up in the cold. We’re all from California, so I’m used to it, they’re not. I’m sure they were much more excited in the box."
"It’s awesome to have them here," Browning added. "It’s always nice to have people there, and it’s mostly nice after you win to go grab dinner or something somewhere."
Browning -- who previously played for the Minnesota Vikings before signing with Cincy in 2021 -- put on a heck of a show in front of his guests ... throwing for 275 yards and two touchdowns.
The performance comes a week after he earned his first career win -- and AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors -- during a tilt with the Jaguars.