National Football League

La'el Collins flashes new Cincinnati Bengals tattoo

Published Jun. 27, 2022 5:02 p.m. ET

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La'el Collins has a new football team, and a new tattoo to boot.

The former Cowboys offensive tackle inked a three-year, $21 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals during the offseason, and shortly after signing the deal, flashed a different form of fresh ink: a tattoo of the team's logo stitched onto the back of his left calf.

For Collins, the design represents the latest chapter in a detailed football story, one that's visible throughout his body.

"I was just kind of sitting around. I had always wanted [a tattoo], but I didn’t know what I wanted to get," Collins told Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. 

He got his first tattoo in 2021, drawing inspiration from his roots after a chaotic 2020 that included his own hip surgery, and a quadruple bypass operation for his mother.

"It kind of made sense since football meant so much to me, I just wanted to get kind of a collage of where I started. The bottom of the leg is the year I was born. On this side is my little league team, the Rams. And this is my high school team. This is our high school logo … we were the Wolves, so I put a wolf right here. Going to Dallas, there’s (the Cowboys’ stadium) and the star." 

"I was always kind of wondering what I was going to put there," he said about his previously untouched left leg. "I signed here. Perfect." 

Collins was widely regarded as one of the game's best right tackles during his seven seasons with Dallas, but was released after a number of issues with the NFL's substance abuse policy, which included being reprimanded with a five-game suspension in 2021. 

Cincinnati gave him a new lease on his career in 2022, and Collins is hoping that the new deal, plus his new legwork, and a replenished mindset will result in another new treat for he and his Bengals troupe: a Super Bowl ring.

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La'el Collins

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