Andrei Iosivas reveals the “angry” reality of NFL stardom and his new mindset heading into a pivotal contract year; Yankee Scores reports…
Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas spoke about some of the abusive online messages he received last season.
The Story
“I feel like last year I was in my head a little bit,” Iosivas said. “Had those drops in those games and people were telling me to kill myself and all that kind of stuff. I never had that kind of stuff happen to me before.
“So it got in my head a little bit when people — you know, when your DMs [direct messages] are flooded with people telling you to kill yourself.”
Iosivas began laughing as usual during one of his interviews with journalists near his locker. But, as the interview went on, the 26-year-old became more serious and emotional.
“It makes me angry, honestly,” Iosivas said before eventually stepping away for a few moments.
A Tale of Two Seasons
In his first two seasons, Iosivas was productive despite being targeted less often than most other receivers. He scored 10 touchdowns on 51 catches in those two seasons, largely due to his chemistry with quarterback Joe Burrow and Burrow’s ability to scramble to find an open receiver.
However, after Burrow suffered an injury during the regular season, his production dropped in 2025. He had only two touchdowns receiving compared to his six in 2024 despite having only three fewer receptions than the previous year. Additionally, he led the team with five drops.
Although Cincinnati’s offensive strategy revolves around passing the ball, there are not many opportunities for other wide receivers to receive passes. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the two Pro Bowl receivers who recently signed for $276 million on new contracts before the start of the 2025 season, usually account for a large portion of the team’s targets. According to ESPN Research, they received almost 46.3% of all the targets throughout the season.
Fighting for a Spot
The wide receiver graduated from Princeton and is now playing his fourth NFL season as a sixth-round pick. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor shared that he is eager to see what happens next with Iosivas’ development
“I love his mindset, his attitude and the way he works,” Taylor said. “We’re all big fans, just looking for him to continue to improve.”
Last season, Iosivas started a career-high nine games. But this offseason, the Bengals opened the door for competition at the No. 3 receiver spot when they drafted Georgia’s Colbie Young in the fourth round.
Iosivas noted that the addition wasn’t new. Two years ago, the Bengals used a third-round pick on Jermaine Burton, who was cut midway through the 2025 season.
Iosivas was not bothered by what that meant for his role in the club.
“I just do me and whatever happens, [happens],” he said. “I feel like I’ve been fighting for that spot for three years, so I don’t really care.”
That indifference was a theme of his comments on Tuesday.
“Just not letting outside noise get to me and letting circumstances get to me,” Iosivas said. “I know I’m a great player so [I’m] not letting people’s opinions or things in the building kind of just irritate me.”
