Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow seems to be in a funk. Per week after making feedback suggesting he is no longer having fun playing football, after which turning in certainly one of his worst performances of the season, Burrow was at it once more Wednesday.
This time round, Burrow raised eyebrows after admitting he is envisioned eventualities the place he is not taking part in for the Bengals anymore.
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Burrow expects to stay with the staff subsequent season, so Bengals followers haven’t got to fear simply but.
But Burrow’s feedback prior to Week 15’s loss have led to questions over whether or not he is fed up with the franchise. Burrow has skilled quite a few accidents over his career, and the Bengals did little to add to the offensive line coming into the 2025 NFL season. Despite getting into the season as a Super Bowl contender, the staff’s hopes had been dashed when Burrow went down with a foot damage in Week 2, one thing followers frightened might occur once more after the staff’s underwhelming offseason.
Burrow returned in Week 13, but it could have already been too late. The Bengals basically wanted to win out to have a shot on the postseason and, even then, the staff probably would have wanted assist to safe a spot in the playoffs.
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That did not occur. After beating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, the Bengals misplaced a troublesome one to the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 due to two late Burrow interceptions. Following the sport, Burrow expressed that he is acquired to discover a manner to make soccer enjoyable once more.
Any state of affairs in which Burrow is taking part in for an additional staff subsequent season would probably solely come about if Burrow demanded a commerce. The 29-year-old signed a five-year, $275 million extension in 2023 that may hold him with the staff by means of the 2029 NFL season. While Burrow appeared to point out that will not occur, there’s precedent for a Bengals quarterback to pressure a commerce after signing an extension. That’s precisely what led to Carson Palmer’s exit from the franchise in 2011.
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Palmer demanded a commerce and — after the staff didn’t grant it — retired as an alternative of taking part in one other sport with the Bengals. He was ultimately traded to the Raiders in the course of the 2011 season.
It doesn’t sound like that is on faucet for Burrow and the Bengals … for now, at the very least.
While Burrow’s feedback about thinking about different eventualities will draw consideration, it is essential to be aware that might imply numerous various things. Even if Burrow has thought about taking part in for an additional staff in the longer term, it doesn’t imply he is annoyed proper now. It simply implies that he is thought-about many various prospects for the best way his career will go.
Still, it is not precisely encouraging for Bengals followers to hear their franchise quarterback waver when requested about his long-term outlook with the staff, particularly after final week’s feedback.
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Though the Bengals are out of the playoffs, Burrow intends to hold taking part in down the stretch. With little else left to play for, this is hoping Burrow finds some pleasure in the course of the ultimate three weeks of the common season. The NFL is way extra entertaining when he is slinging touchdowns in significant video games.