Joe Burrow is starting to sound a lot like Andrew Luck.
Just two weeks after the Bengals’ superstar quarterback said, “You think about a lot of think about a lot of things” when asked whether he could see himself as a quarterback of a different team, Burrow issued another bone-chilling warning to his franchise.
“We don’t want to be in the spot we are in now, so something’s got to change,” Burrow told reporters. “Whether it’s players we have continuing to improve and get better and play championship-caliber football or bringing in guys that will or whatever it may be. Obviously, something has to [change].”
The Bengals, 6-10, have been out of playoff contention for most of the season and missed postseason play last year as well.
They’re are known for being one of the cheapest teams in the NFL.
They’ve skimped out on the offensive line, resulting in Burrow being among the most-hit quarterbacks in the NFL (sixth-most hits with 274) since he entered the league in 2020.
Burrow is under contract in Cincinnati for the next five years, but rumors have swirled for much of the season that he could request a trade or even threaten to retire if not given his wish.
The Bengals’ ownership hasn’t played ball with just about anyone else on their roster, as star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has had his feet dug into the sand for two years on contract negotiations, but he was never given a long-term extension.
Burrow, 29, tore his ACL as a rookie in 2020 after taking an obscene hit to the knee that required major reconstructive surgery.
The former Heisman trophy-winning quarterback for LSU also missed most of this season with a severe turf toe injury before coming back to a team that couldn’t get over the hump.
The ominous comments from Burrow certainly have been bringing back memories of Luck, the former superstar quarterback with the Colts.
Luck, who was 29 when he retired, explained that he fell out of love with football due to the mental toll of the accumulation of injuries, including a lacerated kidney.
The Bengals hope to keep Burrow upright to end their season this week at home against the Browns, where his fellow star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will also play.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
