There is a lot riding on the upcoming 2026-27 NFL season for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
After three straight years of missing the playoffs in Burrow’s prime, the pressure on the Bengals to not just get back to the postseason, but to compete for a Super Bowl is immense.
That may seem like a tall ask, but Burrow himself is trying to instill that mindset throughout the organization in Cincinnati heading into the new season.
“I’m trying to put it out into the world. I’m trying to manifest it. I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have and that I want us to have as an organization to go and make it happen. You can keep pushing it down the road, or you can talk about it now and say this is the year. You know, I’m tired of saying next year, next year, next year. This is it. You know, life is too short to keep pushing things down the road. Trying to instill some urgency and intensity in everybody to go and be great every day and try to make it happen,”
The 29-year-old Burrow is playing on the five-year, $275 million contract extension he signed with the Bengals back in 2023. He’s coming off an injury-riddled 2024-25 season in which he threw for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions in just eight games played.
Burrow is never afraid to be honest with the media, and that was clearly the case again here. There are multiple ways his comments can be taken, one being that his motivation to win in Cincinnati is at an all-time high, the other being he’s hinting that if things don’t improve in 2026-27, he may ask out to chase a Lombardi elsewhere.
Quite honestly, both of those are probably true, and that’s what makes this season so crucial for both Burrow and the future of the Bengals.
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