Jarrett Bailey

6 hours ago

Joe Burrow has had a difficult three-year stretch. The superstar quarterback has suffered two major injuries that have cost him the majority of the last three seasons, and the effects of that are becoming evident.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Burrow was very honest about where his head was at.

""If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing this," Burrow said via Charlie Clifford. "I have been through a lot. If it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? That is the mind set I am trying to bring to the table."

Burrow was then asked if he was frustrated.

"There are a lot of things going on right now," Burrow said. "A lot of things going on."

It didn't take long for many to notice the haunting similarities between Burrow's press conference and Andrew Luck's retirement speech. Burrow asked what the point was in continuing to play if the game stopped being fun, which mirrored what Luck said.

"I haven't been able to live the life I want to live," Luck said during his retirement announcement in 2019. "It's taken the joy out of this game ... the only way forward for me is to remove myself from football."

The beginning of that quote also shadows comments from Burrow. He was asked if there were football related or personal things that he was referencing when saying that there was a lot going on.

"All of the above," Burrow replied.

The parallels between the two quarterbacks don't stop with quotes, though. Luck's career was marred by injuries. From 2015-17, he missed 26 games, including all of 2017. Since being drafted in 2020, Burrow has missed 21 games and has had two season-ending injuries. To narrow it down even further, Burrow has missed 15 games since 2023.

Missing practically an entire season's worth of games has to be a tough weight to shoulder, especially for a quarterback that has led his team to two AFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl when healthy. And while many fans and media alike have speculated that Justin Herbert could end up having an Andrew Luck-esc career due to the amount of hits he's taken, the Chargers star has never showed any sort of hints of stepping away. 

Whatever Burrow's future holds, the frustrations are evident and rational. There's only so much a person can take, both when it comes to injuries and the lack of winning. It's very possible that Burrow was just caught in the moment and that this goes nowhere beyond speculation and making connections that aren't there. It's also possible there are some very difficult conversations taking place behind the curtain in Cincinnati.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/news/joe-burrows-comments-sound-eerily-familiar-andrew-luck-retirement-speech/ad29c76e8ef48d255834cb14

Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer getting a lot of mentions.

Willie is exactly right. Those words are directed to the team owners.

🤷

Where is that too much drama gif?

I think Joe loves the game but I think he’s not above sending a shot across the bow to the organization to deliver a message. Guess we will see.

He’s wore down.

There’s a part of me that actually wishes he would retire. The backlash on the Brown family would be something to behold.

6 minutes ago, spicoli said:

He’s wore down.

There’s a part of me that actually wishes he would retire. The backlash on the Brown family would be something to behold.

You think so?

People still call Carson a quitter, do we think that would be different for Joe?

CP only “quit” so he could go somewhere else. He still wanted to ball.

I wonder why these professional entertainers have press conferences. Yeah, it’s demanded by the league, I know. Still, if anything would cause these guys to “wear down”, it would be having to sit in front of these trained media seals and take their endless probing “questions”.

But if he does quit…he should do it dramatically—like at halftime

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/vontae-davis-explains-why-he-retired-from-the-nfl-in-the-middle-of-a-bills-game/

55 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

You think so?

People still call Carson a quitter, do we think that would be different for Joe?

Absolutely. Joe is a completely different animal.

sadly it's easily understood.

Sits recovering from injury and the team loses game after game. He comes back, lights a spark, but then is undermined by yet another Defensive flop. Granted he had a huge hand in the last loss, but why must he be perfect all the time. The D teased and fooled many by showing a hint of competeince. But that's all it was, we were all fools.

and I'm not intending to bash on the D. There as been some notable efforts and promise but ..... They are what this organization constructed.

To parely off his words, this aint fun no more.

3 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

CP only “quit” so he could go somewhere else. He still wanted to ball.

I wonder why these professional entertainers have press conferences. Yeah, it’s demanded by the league, I know. Still, if anything would cause these guys to “wear down”, it would be having to sit in front of these trained media seals and take their endless probing “questions”.

But if he does quit…he should do it dramatically—like at halftime

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/vontae-davis-explains-why-he-retired-from-the-nfl-in-the-middle-of-a-bills-game/

The "when did you decide to quit drowning kittens?" styled bait questions are ridiculous. All about getting that hot 5-10 second soundbite for the clip shows.

Too bad it's infected "real" journalism too...

The "he smiles a lot" stuff ain't doing it for me, though.

Maybe he was referring to the back to back INTs against Buffalo...? Those were not fun.

You're not going to find a much bigger Joe Burrow fan than me but, seriously Joe? Boo hoo...I can only play if it's fun. 29 years old with the world by the balls, two elite WRs to throw to, a world wide superstar with the opportunity to retire in his thirties and swim in a vault of money with super models while enjoying generational wealth and security. Poor Joe. I'm so sorry that's not fun enough for you. The team has basically done what he wanted them to. Sign Chase, Hendrickson, Higgins and Gesicki, and make him (at the time) the highest paid player in history. I feel terrible that he might not be having enough fun. Maybe Joe and his buddies should have thought about leaving some money on the table for a defense.

Let's all bow to the real master...

17 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

Where is that too much drama gif?

Bengals QB Joe Burrow says priority is to have 'fun' playing

• 

  Ben BabyDec 10, 2025, 05:49 PM

CINCINNATI -- The latest injury in Joe Burrow's career has caused him to change his perspective of football.

On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback revealed that he didn't view playing football as fun before he suffered a turf toe injury on Week 2 of this season that sidelined him for nine games.

Since his return, the Bengals have split games against the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills. After the latter contest, a 39-34 road defeat at Buffalo, Burrow said he wanted to "go have fun [and] play football."

When asked to expound on that topic on Wednesday, Burrow said that must be a priority for him moving forward.

"If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it," said Burrow, who added that his desire to win remains unchanged. "I've been through a lot and if it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? So that's the mindset I'm trying to bring to the table."

Burrow's sixth NFL season has been a tumultuous one. He went on injured reserve for the third time in his career. The previous instances involved season-ending injuries -- torn left knee ligaments in 2020, his rookie season, and a ruptured ligament in his throwing wrist that halted his 2023 season.

While this one wasn't in the same category, he missed the most games in a season because of the turf toe injury that required surgery. He is playing with a new pair of cleats and a carbon fiber plate and a custom orthotic to keep the shoe firm and the big toe in his left foot from bending backwards.

After the loss to Buffalo, Burrow also spoke about the importance of putting on a show in addition to having fun. On Wednesday, ahead of another game against the Ravens (6-7), Burrow explained why he feels the need to be a showman.

"Number one, I work hard for it," said Burrow, who turned 29 on Wednesday. "Number two, this is, at the end of the day, the entertainment industry. And I want to go out and play well and if you're playing well and scoring points and winning games, then it's usually fun to watch."

But for Burrow, playing needs to be fun, too.

Even with the injuries, Burrow has enjoyed a prolific career. He helped the Bengals win two AFC North titles, played and lost in Super Bowl LVI, is a two-time Pro Bowler and won The Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year in 2021 and 2024.

But the setbacks over the years have taken their toll.

"I think I've been through more than most," Burrow said. "Certainly not easy on the brain or the body, so just trying to have fun doing it again."

Cincinnati (4-9) is also headed to its first losing season since 2020, Burrow's rookie season. The former No. 1 overall draft pick said the team isn't thinking about the playoffs this season. A loss to the Ravens on Sunday at Paycor Stadium will seal the Bengals' third straight year without a postseason.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47270547/bengals-qb-joe-burrow-says-priority-fun-playing

Maybe he just finds it unfun when this historically bad defense blows games?

40 minutes ago, HavePityPlease said:

Let's all bow to the real master...

This is what I’m talking about: it has now accelerated to “which teams will compete for his services?”

(Of course, this would mean they have to give up on the “Hard (Luck) Story” and move him back into “super competitor” mode, but hey…no one will ever notice the switch)

Fuck off, media

50 minutes ago, BengalFanInTO said:

You're not going to find a much bigger Joe Burrow fan than me but, seriously Joe? Boo hoo...I can only play if it's fun. 29 years old with the world by the balls, two elite WRs to throw to, a world wide superstar with the opportunity to retire in his thirties and swim in a vault of money with super models while enjoying generational wealth and security. Poor Joe. I'm so sorry that's not fun enough for you. The team has basically done what he wanted them to. Sign Chase, Hendrickson, Higgins and Gesicki, and make him (at the time) the highest paid player in history. I feel terrible that he might not be having enough fun. Maybe Joe and his buddies should have thought about leaving some money on the table for a defense.

"Whatever a person does because has to is work. Whatever a person does because he wants to is play (fun)."

~ Mark Twain (on Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence episode... one of the things he was given was a dead cat. Wonder if it bounced?)