The NFL has begun making Christmas games an annual tradition. Prior to 2020, the league had scheduled 21 games on holidays in its history. There have been 11 Christmas games since then, including Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans this season.

But there is another Christmas tradition that has been established in the NFL for more than four years: quarterbacks give their offensive linemen lavish Christmas presents.

It should go some way to explaining why quarterbacks want to reward the big men whose job it is to protect them from other big men trying to tackle them. An exchange between Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and offensive lineman Alex Cappa on a recent episode of “Hard Knocks” summed it up well.

“Is O-Line fun?” Burrow asked the seventh-year guard.

“There are good elements, like doing something bigger than yourself. Your work isn’t always celebrated, and you need to celebrate it,” Cappa responded. “But I feel like it’s the position that’s filled with the most anxiety.”

“You never get praised for anything good that happens, and you get killed for anything bad that happens,” Burrow agreed. “Quarterback, you get criticized when you stink, but when you’re great, that’s nice.”

That’s why the holiday season is a way for quarterbacks in the NFL to show their gratitude to their often-underappreciated teammates.

Let’s take a look at some of the fanciest gifts offensive linemen received this year.

Joe Burrow gives the Bengals OL samurai swords

Burrow’s gift to his linemen was the most unique of the year and led to perhaps the best quote of the season: “The fact that he bought me a sword is the oldest form of respect,” offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. told The Athletic .

Burrow later explained why he chose the swords, which come from 16th-century Japan.

“Well, they wanted guns,” he said. “And I thought, ‘I don’t know anything about guns, guys.’ So I was in the weapons mindset and asked myself, ‘What’s a cool weapon?’ I think samurai swords are pretty damn cool.”

His linemen agreed.

Cappa told ESPN, “My favorite gift I’ve ever gotten because it’s so different.”

Russell Wilson puts together a bulging gift bag for the Steelers OL

Wilson joined the Steelers this offseason on a one-year veteran’s minimum salary, but the 13-year pro has made enough money in his career to treat his OL to a hefty gift package that included:

• a Louis Vuitton travel bag in the Steelers’ black and gold colors
• a $10,000 Airbnb gift card to use anywhere in the world
• a bottle of Ten To One Rum (co-owned by his wife Ciara)
• Custom Good Man Brand shoes in Steelers colors for each teammate and coach (brand co-founded by Wilson)

Maybe the last two gifts cost Wilson nothing, but that shouldn’t matter. Wilson wanted to show his gratitude to the OL for helping pave the way for his bounce-back season, and he delivered.

Patrick Mahomes does his best to be stocking stuffers for the Chiefs OL

There were no lumps of coal in these stockings. Or really even stockings, unless you count a $400+ YETI cooler as a stocking.

That’s just part of what Mahomes left his linemen in front of their lockers. According to PEOPLE, he also packed the coolers with goodies like Hyperice’s Normatec Elite air compression leg braces, Rolex watches, Oakley sunglasses, Lucchese leather boots, WHOOP bands and items from Adidas’ Black Y-3 line.

However, Mahomes saved a special gift for his top target, Travis Kelce.

Brock Purdy takes his cue from Oprah and surprises every 49ers OL with a new vehicle

If you’ve ever seen a car ad in December and wondered who would get someone a new vehicle for the holidays, we have an answer: Purdy does. The 49ers quarterback, who has a sponsorship deal with Toyota, used his connections to give each OL a new truck – complete with a bow on top, like in the commercials.

Unfortunately for George Kittle, tight ends were not on Purdy’s Santa Claus list.

Jayden Daniels gives the Commanders OL a chance to unburden himself

Daniels isn’t the first rookie quarterback to combine his OL with electric scooters; Kyler Murray also did it in 2019.

Still, the signal caller in the commanders’ first year offered the perfect reason why he chose the gift he did:

The No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is the leading candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and is on pace to break Robert Griffin III’s rookie QB rushing record. He was also sacked 22 times fewer times (60 vs. 38) than Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the draft. Williams is the most sacked quarterback in the league this season, just as Murray was five years ago. So it’s understandable that Daniels wants to give the linemen who do the blocking for him a chance to give their feet some rest.

(Want great stories delivered straight to your inbox? Create your FOX Sports account or log in, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized daily newsletter.)

---

---