Nearing the end of an injury-wrecked 2025 campaign, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will miss out on postseason play for the third year in a row. It’s not what he or the Bengals envisioned when they won the AFC in 2021 and followed it up with a second straight conference title game appearance the next season.
A toe injury kept Burrow out for nine games earlier this season. Since he returned in Week 13, questions about Burrow’s future in Cincinnati have persisted.
Burrow shut down the possibility of an Andrew Luck-esque early retirement or a trade request a couple of weeks ago. The 29-year-old added last week that he expects to remain with the Bengals in 2026. Indeed, there’s no indication Burrow wants out of Cincinnati, per Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
“I truly think he wants to be here,” a team source told Fowler.
Assuming that’s the case, the Bengals will hope for a healthier season from Burrow in 2026. That alone would give them a far better chance to contend, but it may not be enough without significant improvements elsewhere. Consider that in 2024, Burrow’s lone 17-game season to date, the Bengals only managed nine wins despite brilliant production from the two-time Pro Bowler.
The Bengals are 4-2 in Burrow’s starts this year, but he reportedly believes the team has to “play perfect” to win. A defense that ranks last in the NFL in points allowed and 31st in yardage surrendered has been a major problem. The expected departure of defensive end Trey Hendrickson in free agency would only add to the Bengals’ issues on that side of the ball.
Burrow endorsed a Hendrickson extension last spring, but a multiyear pact didn’t come together. After a contentious battle, the Bengals agreed to increase Hendrickson’s 2025 salary from $16MM to $30MM. He only played seven games this year before undergoing season-ending core muscle surgery.
The Bengals are on track to enter the offseason with a projected $110MM in cap space (via Zak Koeppel of NFL.com). That could help the team retain Hendrickson if the two sides are open to continuing their relationship. Regardless, the Bengals will have plenty of money and a high first-round draft pick to play with as they aim to better their roster around their franchise signal-caller.
If the Bengals are in a similar spot a year from now, Burrow’s frustration could grow, but league executives Fowler has spoken with don’t expect them to ever consider trading him. As things stand, Burrow is in line to remain in Cincinnati through 2029 on the five-year, $275MM extension he signed in 2023.
Clock is ticking
Clock is always ticking and nothing changes
I read the other day that Dak wants some say. Aaron, Dak, & Joe have zero front office experience, but hey why not let them GM? The Jets grandkids using Madden after all. And all 4 teams suck.
When you get too many people involved in decision making you end up with a consensus which falls between good ideas and bad ideas so the result is mediocrity. At the center of every NFL dynasty you find a strong leader calling the shots.
Burrow isn’t going anywhere. Some doofus writer misconstrued Burrows comments and and when all the other “insiders” start parroting the first guys comments suddenly Burrow wants to be traded. Then when the press asks Burrow and he says that’s not what he meant the idiots call him a liar and say the believe the writer. Don’t believe the guy who made the comment, believe the goober who made misconstrued what Burrow said. There are way to many experts and/or insiders today. People who have no business writing anything except their signature on the back of their paychecks have their own websites or insider dirt sheets. But the general public is gullible and are to lazy to do research for themselves, so they believe whatever the fake sports writers put on paper. Burrow is a Bengal for life.
Burrow made a comment then did the classic flip flop, backtracking on that comment when he realized how it reflected badly on his employer. The writers reporting on this are the bad guys? Sorry, but the guy doing the flip flop is the one I would be more reluctant to trust.
Because it was never a shot at his employer, it was him answering a question that got wildly taken out of context because of a doofus writer making something out of nothing.
Where there’s smoke there’s fire……this will be an escalating thing going forward until he finally gets free of Cincinnati
That’s what everybody not in Cincinnati would have you believe…
Burrow and the Bengals remind me of the Falcons and Matt Ryan. Made the Super Bowl…kinda choked. Burrow and Ryan both put up great numbers with great WR’s but defense always let them down. Capable of a decent year here and there but never a serious contender again