Carlos Dunlap tips his cap to the Bengals ahead of his Super Bowl appearance

Respect.

The Cincinnati Bengals and defensive end Carlos Dunlap didn’t end things on the best of terms. As a veteran on the team when Zac Taylor and Lou Anarumo took over, Dunlap found himself lower on the depth chart, which lead to him being vocally upset leading to his exit.

In a world where “recency bias” can be a real thing, many fans remember that far more than they remember the great addition to the team Dunlap was for over a decade. Regardless of how he left, Dunlap is still one of the best defensive linemen to ever don the striped helmet.

After spending time with the Seattle Seahawks, Dunlap is now preparing for his first Super Bowl appearance of his career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. During media availability, it appears Dunlap has no ill will toward Cincinnati:

“The Bengals organization is a huge chapter in my book,” Dunlap told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Mr. (Mike) Brown. The Blackburn family. (Director of Operations) Jeff Brickner. If my team (Seattle) wasn’t going, I was excited for the organization. It’s a new day over there, you know that.”

Dunlap went on to have high praise for Joe Burrow, someone he has had the chance to line up against twice this season:

“He’s the future of the NFL. Next to Pat Mahomes, who else? Future is his,” Dunlap said of Burrow.

Dunlap has had nothing but good things to say about Cincinnati since the dust settled and it may be time Bengals fans return the sentiment.