After a subpar junior season at Louisiana State University, quarterback Joe Burrow came out of nowhere and took the College Football world by storm last season. Burrow broke the NCAA D1 single-season record for passing touchdowns and yards on his way to being named the nation’s best player and winning the Heisman Trophy. Burrow then topped it all off by leading LSU to a College Football Playoff Championship win, immortalizing himself in the history books forever.
It has been widely believed that Joe Burrow is a sure fire lock to be drafted number one overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in this upcoming draft, and that he will be their franchise quarterback for many seasons to come. Joe Burrow– a kid born and raised in Ohio –would come home to Cincinnati, in perfect storybook fashion.
All seemed to be going smoothly.
Then this rumor that Joe Burrow might refuse to play for Cincinnati crept up, whispering of chaos and turmoil in the ears of a Bengals franchise that has seldom caught a break in their fifty-two year existence.
Cue the panic.
Sports media outlets are picking up this storyline and running with it. It’s hard to tell how legitimate it is– Burrow himself hasn’t made any direct comments on it– and it makes one wonder if it’s just a rumor that NFL pundits are forcing to have legs because football news is slow in late February. Regardless, as of today, people are committed to making this story a thing.
So let’s indulge.
One article on this whole saga that I found to be particularly enjoyable was Danny Heifetz’s article for the Ringer titled, “Is Joe Burrow Already Trying to Break Up With the Bengals?” While almost every detail from this story stems from speculation, seeing all the things added up together, it’s hard not to agree that perhaps there’s truly something to this idea that Burrow wants nothing to do with Cincinnati. Heifetz neatly and succinctly lays out the following things as evidence for a potential Burrow-Bengals divorce:
- Ex-Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer says the Bengals don’t care about winning a Super Bowl.
- A DAY later, Burrow hires Carson’s brother Jordan to be his pre-draft trainer. Jordan also played quarterback (as Carson’s backup) for the Bengals. Like his brother, Jordan’s not a huge fan of the franchise.
- Burrow said in an interview, “If they select me, they select me.”
- Steve Bartkowski, who also was once a number one overall pick, told Burrow that he should “pull an Eli Manning.” Manning refused to play for the Chargers when they picked him.
Pair these things with the fact that Burrow has yet to give the media the traditional, “it’d be an honor if they picked me” spiel, and it makes this whole thing– at the very least– fishy. Burrow’s involvement with the Palmers is particularly curious. As Heifetz points out, “considering what Carson was willing to say in public, it’s easy to imagine the stories Burrow might have heard in private” (Heifetz, The Ringer). It’s a great point. Anyone who is going into a new job might reach out to someone who previously worked for the company to find out how they do things. Burrow reaching out to Palmer is no big deal, but Palmer basically screaming from the rooftops about the Bengal’s shortcomings, while also talking to Burrow in private, has to be making the Bengals sweat.
It’s likely that even if Burrow comes out and says that he won’t play for the Bengals, they will still draft him. This could then create a cold war-esc situation between Burrow’s camp and the Bengals, as Bengal’s General Manager is notoriously proud, and likely won’t just roll over and just trade the LSU product.
If it comes to that it will be quite interesting, but again who knows if this story is truly anything more than coincidences leading to speculation on slow news days.
Only time will tell.
