It’s Time for the Bengals to Do Right By Joe Burrow
Posted December 24, 2025
We have three NFL games on Christmas and two more on Saturday. But before we get to those, let’s dive into the Tuesday Notes.
There have been a lot of questions about the Bengals’ future after some of
Joe Burrow’s comments over the past few weeks. So I’ll start with my thoughts on the situation.
My feeling is that Burrow badly wants to be a change agent for Cincinnati. His actions reflect that. He was defiant in the face of any “Same Old Bengals” narratives during the 2021 Super Bowl run. He advocated for new contracts for star teammates Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson. His presence has pushed the organization to modernize and expand its scouting operation.
His influence is even reflected in the long-overdue construction of an on-site practice bubble.
Burrow is from Ohio, and he understood the opportunity he had before the 2020 draft, when there were rumblings that he’d pull an Eli Manning and push the Bengals to trade the first pick. He’s made the most of that opportunity when he’s been healthy, changing the face of the organization in many ways. And I don’t think he’s ready to give up on that. But he won’t be patient forever. Eventually, this could become Matthew Stafford in Detroit.
I think the people who run the Bengals are aware of that—I’ve always gotten that impression from my conversations with them. So when I spoke with Zac Taylor after Sunday’s rout of the Dolphins in Miami, I wanted to look ahead and ask what he thinks it’ll take for the team to get back to the level it was at when it went to consecutive AFC title games a few years ago.
“We want to give ourselves a chance. We put in a lot of work, and we know we can get back to that very quickly,” Taylor told me. “This was a down year for us, a disappointing year, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not ready to get right back to it, reload and compete for a division championship, AFC championship, and get back to playing in the Super Bowl.”
As for how Taylor interpreted Burrow’s public display of frustration last week …
“I think he’s very thoughtful with his responses,” Taylor said. “If you ask him a question, he’s going to give you a thoughtful response. But I think we’ve all got a great relationship, he’s helped us lead a championship offense here, and been a part of championship teams here. And we’re going to get back to that very quickly. So I’m excited for him to lead the charge there.”
One thing’s for sure: Burrow’s capable of that. He’s proven it. Now, it’s on the Bengals to surround him with more talent, particularly on defense, capable of it, too.
I asked Taylor about the idea of shutting Burrow down after the Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention. Instead, the coach started his franchise quarterback, who responded with 309 yards and four touchdown passes in the 45–21 win.
“He wants to play,” Taylor said. “He’s a football player; he’s here to play football. He missed a big chunk this season. He wants to go out there and play, and we want to go out there and win. So everything we’re doing right now is geared toward winning here at the end of the season.”
