Getty Image / Kevin C. Cox
Joe Burrow is expected to be the first name called at the 2020 NFL Draft in April. The Bengals sit in the driver’s seat with the No. 1 overall pick and should honestly be kicked out of the league if they don’t take Burrow, but maybe it’s not that easy.
Actually, it is if you’re the Bengals as all they have to do is pick him, but perhaps Cincinnati isn’t where Burrow wants to land. Eli Manning and John Elway forced themselves to a different team after being selected by a franchise they simply didn’t want to play for. While it’s rare, who’s to say Burrow won’t try to make that same sort of move?
This idea began during Super Bowl week when Burrow caught up with TMZ. He was asked about whether or not he’d want to play for the Bengals and didn’t necessarily give the most ‘all-in’ answer.
You want to be the No. 1 pick but at the same time, you want to go to an organization that’s committed to winning and as committed to winning as I am.
The quote has flown a bit under the radar, but Dan Patrick certainly took notice and gave his thoughts about Burrow’s answer. Patrick isn’t all-in on believing Burrow is all-in on playing for the Bengals.
“If Joe Burrow wanted to go to the Bengals, he would say ‘I hope they draft me. I want to go No. 1 and I want to bring that team back to the Super Bowl.’ If you’re all in on the Bengals, then it would sound like you’re all in on the Bengals. He’s keeping his options open here because I don’t know if he’s all-in on the Cincinnati Bengals.”
Chances are, Patrick and others may be reading a bit too deep into the one-sentence statement from Burrow, but then again, maybe the quarterback was simply telling it like it is. After all, the Bengals went 2-14 last season and haven’t put together a winning campaign since 2015.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens at the Draft in a couple of months, that’s for sure.