As recently as earlier this week, a new update suggested that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow could question how long he “will want to” stay put if Cincinnati misses
the playoffs for a fourth straight year.
The Bengals made multiple moves during the offseason to bolster their defense, the biggest of which involved acquiring defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II from the New York Giants. During a recent chat with D.J. Siddiqi for a Casino.ca piece, former Bengals star offensive tackle and current NFL analyst Andrew Whitworth called Burrow out.
Bengals have showed Joe Burrow they’re serious about winning
“They have jumped through hoops, when you talk about an organization that didn’t change for anyone at any point for any reason,” Whitworth said about the Bengals and Burrow. “They have changed everything they do since Joe Burrow became their quarterback. From trades to draft to spending money to you name it, they have done it. I think that maybe, a couple years ago, you could say (they need to do more), but now with them paying his receivers, with them making this massive Dexter Lawrence trade, some of the offseason money they’ve spent. It’s like, ‘What else could they possibly do to show him that they’re committed to try to win?'”
Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, defensive end Boye Mafe, safety Kyle Dugger and safety Bryan Cook are among some of the other big names who are now part of the Bengals’ defense. As for Burrow, he suffered a toe injury in Week 2 last season that kept him out of action until Week 13. His 2023 campaign ended prematurely because of a wrist injury, and he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in November of his rookie season (2020).
In short, the perception exists that Burrow needs to repay the Bengals by playing well and staying healthy through at least the bulk of the upcoming season.
“I think at this point,” Whitworth continued, “what I think is cool about it is, they’ve almost put the ball back in [Burrow’s] court and said, ‘Alright, we’ve done everything we can do to try and be different. At some point now we’ve got to get something back from it.'”
Andrew Whitworth makes big Joe Burrow prediction
Whispers suggesting that Burrow could look to leave the Bengals in early 2027 grew louder this past winter before the new league year opened. Burrow signed
a five-year, $275M contract extension in September 2023, and he has strong ties to Ohio.
“He’s an Ohio guy,” Whitworth added about Burrow. “I think sometimes that it sounds fun to (speculate). I don’t know if it’s real reality, though. I think that Cincinnati loves him. I think that organization has built everything around him. I’d be shocked if he’s not the guy there, and he’s not their future. I just really would. …We’re talking about an Ohio guy. He’s got a lot of pride in that city. He’s got a lot of pride in being a part of Ohio. And that being his home state, how could a guy have more commitment from an organization? You’ve got to look at it since he got there to who they are now.”
That commitment may mean plenty to Burrow today, but one wonders how he’ll react if things go terribly wrong for the Bengals from September through January 2027.
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