How the Bengals are taking extra steps to make sure Joe Burrow is happy
By Zach Ragan
The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to take LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow with the top selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
One of the biggest stories this offseason has been whether or not LSU football’s Joe Burrow wants to play for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Burrow, who grew up in Ohio, is expected to be the top selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. And Cincinnati, a team in desperate need of a quarterback, has the first pick.
A match made in heaven, right?
Well, maybe.
Draft pundits have spent much of the offseason postulating that Burrow might not want to play for the Bengals — even though there’s really no basis for that theory.
This all started when Carson Palmer “warned” Burrow about playing for the Bengals, saying that Cincinnati never tried to win a Super Bowl.
Palmer, of course, played for the Bengals from 2003-2010 (and his brother, Jordan, is helping train Burrow).
Burrow, to his credit, tried to end any discussion of not wanting to play in Cincinnati.
At the combine, Burrow told reporters that the narrative about him not wanting to play for the Bengals was completely fabricated and that he would “of course” play for whoever drafted him.
Cincinnati, however, isn’t taking any chances. They’re doing everything they can to make sure that Burrow is happy when they inevitably draft him.
To ease any concerns that Burrow might have about playing in Cincy, Bengals owner Mike Brown joined the former LSU quarterback’s combine interview.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brown wanted to make sure to lay out a plan for the franchise in front of Burrow.
The presence of Brown also allowed Burrow to ask whatever questions he had about the Bengals and the future of the franchise.
When you combine Brown’s decision to sit in on Burrow’s interview with the team’s decision to sign defensive lineman DJ Reader (an uncharacteristic “big signing”), it’s clear that Cincinnati is doing everything they can to make sure their future franchise quarterback is happy.
(The Bengals also retained wide receiver AJ Green via the franchise tag, and signed cornerback Trae Waynes.)
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Burrow is a once in a generation talent. I can’t blame the Bengals for taking extra steps to make sure they don’t screw this situation up.