Joe Burrow made headlines last week after his home was broken into when he was on the road for a Monday Night Football game, and it gave Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff uncomfortable flashbacks.

Goff, like Burrow, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a handful of other high-profile athletes in recent months, had his home broken into during a road game as a rookie with the Los Angeles Rams.

Goff said Wednesday that his home was burglarized after an early-season game in 2016. He learned of the robbery when he returned home from the game to see his front door open.

“I got broken into when I was a rookie,” Goff said. “Same way. So I was on the road, broken into, stole some stuff.

“It wasn’t national news because I was a rookie who wasn’t playing. But I was glad it wasn’t national news because it’s violating. So ever since then, when I’m on the road, there’s people there.”

Goff said the thieves, who never were apprehended, stole home electronics, shoes and little else.

“It was weird,” he said. “They could have taken more and they didn’t. It was bizarre.”

Beyond the missing possessions, the experience left Goff feeling victimized and taught him a valuable lesson about dealing with the spotlight.

“It’s really kind of a no-brainer (to hire security) now cause it’s like we’re on the road, we’re on TV, everyone can see where we’re at publicly, so it’s like everyone knows you’re not home,” he said. “So once that happened, I was like, it’s not worth just trying to save money. Just do it and hire the guys and they stay there, they’re at the house and are there to guard it.”

NFL Network reported last month the NFL sent a memo to the league’s players association and team security directors warning them of organized groups of skilled criminals targeting athletes’ homes in burglaries.

The memo, which was shared online by The Athletic, outlined the types of homes being targeted for burglary, offered do’s and don’ts for social media, and made several home security recommendations, including installing security systems, adding locks and security bars to windows and making use of “a trusted house sitter when possible.”

Multiple Lions players told the Free Press the team shared the memo with players, and several said they already had security measures in place.

Along with Burrow and Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reportedly had $20,000 in cash stolen during a home invasion in October, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Lival Joseph had his Minnesota home burglarized in November and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis reported a break-in at his home last month.

“I don’t think guys talk about it as much. I think it’s kind of just known,” Lions defensive tackle DJ Reader said. “I think most guys come from environments where we’ve watched things like this happen before in our lifetime and just seen people plot, know people who plot, anything like that. So it’s not like anything that’s uncommon to the rest of the world.

“I think most guys are pretty smart about it. You just can’t invite a lot of people to your house. It’s hard to not let people know where you live. Neighbors want to know, this, that and the third. It’s hard. It’s impossible. You could be, I mean shoot, you don’t know who the mailman knows, you don’t know who your electrician knows. So it’s damn impossible to not have to live without having protection over your house.”

Reader, who played four seasons with Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, said he long has used a house sitter to help protect his home when he’s away.

For years, Reader said his brother stayed with him and looked after his house. Now, he employs a friend from Cincinnati to watch his home at various times during the year.

“And we’re carriers so we obviously have our gun license and concealed carriers in our house,” he said. “We try to make sure our place is safe, but I’m not super big on guns or anything like that.

“I just hope that nobody feels the need to come take anything from my house. Most of all, there’s not nothing in there. Nothing’s there. Honestly. It’s literally nothing. You could go in there and take it and I’m just going file for insurance, but I mean it’s nothing in there.”

Lions receiver Jameson Williams declined to say what steps he takes to protect his Detroit residence, but said, “I think people are well aware” they can be targets as professional athletes.

Williams was a passenger in a car that was pulled over earlier this fall when a gun registered in his name was found under the seat. In body cam footage of the traffic stop obtained by WXYZ-TV, Williams told a police officer he owned the gun “for protection.”

“I heard (Burrow) was at the game, so maybe no one was at his house or he probably didn’t have a security system or something like that,” Williams said. “I think you just got to be real cautious and real aware of what can happen to you even though you’re in the position you’re in.

“Like I said, some people don’t have respect for what you do for their city, what you do just globally. It can happen to anybody at any time in any place. I just want everybody to be more aware of their surroundings and more cautious everywhere they go. That would be the main thing, protect yourself at all times.”

Two Lions players who the Free Press is not naming to protect their privacy said they do not go to extra lengths to secure their homes because they do not feel like they are high-profile enough targets.

But for Goff, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft and recipient of a four-year, $212 million extension this offseason, the measures are well worth the peace of mind.

“I think the stuff that happened recently makes it very real and they’re clearly doing high-profile guys so it gets on the news and then they can say, ‘Hey, I did that,'” he said. “So the higher-profile guys in our league have to be aware of that.

“I would imagine everyone, if you’re at a game, they can see it’s on TV. They know where you’re at, so lock your doors or do your best to get some security measures in place.”