Joe Burrow’s Bengals are out of the playoffs for the third straight season, but that familiar, disappointing result hasn’t dampened Burrow’s burning desire to continue playing football for the club.
Speculation has been rife in recent days following Burrow’s recent comments that he needed to have fun if he wanted to keep ‘doing this’. On Wednesday, Burrow was asked if he could see a world where he wasn’t playing for the Bengals in 2026.
“I can’t see it, no,” he said.
Burrow was less focused when asked if he had considered playing elsewhere.
“You think about many things,” he said.
Burrow went on to explain that the NFL is an anything-but-can-happen landscape.
“A lot of crazy things happen every year,” he said. “Micah Parsons was traded before the season this year. … Crazy things can happen.”
For now, Burrow is focused on playing the Bengals’ final games in 2025, even though some believe he shouldn’t participate in those contests given his injury history and Cincinnati’s postseason exit.
After all, he was forced to watch most of the 2025 regular season in street clothes before returning for Thanksgiving. Now that his team has little to play before 2025, some are questioning why Burrow — an oft-injured quarterback who plays with a modified cleat to protect his surgically repaired toe — is risking his health to play in Cincinnati’s final three games.
Burrow is tired of hearing the worries.
“I enjoy playing football. For the same reasons I wanted to push to come back from injury, the same reasons I wanted to play this week,” he said on Wednesday. “It feels like everything, everyone is trying to do everything in their power to keep me from playing football, and I feel like I’m fighting it, like fighting everyone else. I just want to play ball. That’s all I want to do.”
Burrows’ vague references to faceless opponents did not come with subsequent clarification, leaving his response open to interpretation and opening a cobweb of theories.
After back-to-back trips to the 2021-2022 AFC Championship Game (including one win and a Super Bowl appearance), Cincinnati will spend a third straight winter watching the postseason from home, leading some to wonder if coach Zac Taylor’s days are numbered. One might guess that Burrow is referring to Taylor or perhaps executive Duke Tobin, but that thought would also lead straight into a tunnel of conspiracy.
The full-back is certainly not helping matters with his recent statements in interviews, where he talks about how he needs to enjoy football to continue playing. The Bengals haven’t had much fun over the past three seasons, struggling to stay in the playoffs while battling massive adversity, which has often included the injury-related absence of Burrow.
This stream-of-consciousness approach to media sessions has led some to speculate whether Burrow may be seeking an exit or applying pressure to force organizational change. Some have also questioned whether Burrow could channel his inner Barry Sanders and hit his prime due to his team’s repeated struggles. It doesn’t seem realistic, at least not now.
“You think about it, but you think about a lot of different things in your life, just like everybody does,” Burrow said. “You think about all the different possibilities that could happen. I’m going to play a long time. I’m going to play a long time. I’m going to play well and consistently great for a long time.”
Burrow allayed the second fear with his response on Wednesday, but it is clear he is tired of coming to the same depressing end of December. He already got his wish when the Bengals managed to insert extensions for him, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins into their salary cap over the last two years; it’s not enough to keep him happy though, not with the constant failure to reach the playoffs.
Burrow is not innocent either. His absence — caused by a season-ending wrist injury that forced Jake Browning into the lineup — contributed to their downfall in 2023, while a healthy 2024 season fell apart because Cincinnati’s defense couldn’t stop nosebleeds in key losses. On Sunday, Burrow’s performance resulted in a 24-0 rout of the Ravens in the league, ending their last hope of making the postseason.
Based on Burrow’s comments, those in control may want to limit further mistakes by protecting Burrow from further exposure, even though the quarterback denied that when asked if anyone in the building was trying to prevent him from playing.
The remaining games won’t matter much for the Bengals in 2025. The offseason, however, could be more important than ever.