Joe Burrow Makes STRONG Statement About NFL's Passing Hierarchy, Discusses Role in Bengals Contracts

  Joe Burrow is seemingly always confident, but that's never felt more true right now.  He chatted with Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer at Bengals training camp this summer and detailed how sound his abilities as a passer are entering a sixth NFL season.

Burrow won Comeback Player of the Year for the second time this past winter after overcoming his major wrist injury. He told Breer that NBA superstar Kevin Durant has been a sounding board for him as he continues to ascend higher and higher as a star.

“I’m not sure I would say anyone is playing the position better than I am right now,” Burrow told Breer about his play.“I'm pretty confident in my ability to go out and do that every Sunday. Now, it’s just showing that consistency, showing it year in and year out. I think what separates the legends is being able to do it year in, year out for five, 10 years at a time. So, trying to be able to find that consistency in my discipline and my process, doing the easy stuff in my sleep and then making the hard stuff look easy, then making a couple of great plays here and there, that’s what I am trying to do every week.”

Burrow has grown more and more on and off the field with each passing season in Cincinnati. That includes his relationship with the front office and how they handle contract decisions.

The "family" atmosphere stood out to the NFL's leading touchdown thrower last season.

“I just think having somebody that can relay the feelings of the locker room, number one, to the head coach, because Zac [Taylor] is very involved up there and he’s not in it like we are, that’s the quarterback’s job,” Burrow said about how he comments on teammates' contracts. “And number two, this is a family organization. And I feel that family atmosphere. I feel comfortable going up to Katie [Blackburn] and Troy [Blackburn], and Mr. [Mike] Brown. 

"We have a great relationship, and I think the more that I can explain the thoughts of the locker room, explain why doing one thing one way might affect feelings in the locker room, as opposed to doing something a different way, it’s my job as a quarterback to be able to relay information like that. And whatever their decisions are with that information, that’s for them to decide.”

Getting Trey Hendrickson signed to a new deal and onto the field can only help Burrow achieve his top goal of winning a Super Bowl. 

Cincinnati has been shut out of the playoffs in consecutive seasons after pairing together AFC Championship appearances.

“A lot has to go right for that to happen—we know, having gone through the last two years, having what it takes on our side of the ball to make that happen, regardless," Burrow said about competing for a title. "And I think that’s certainly feasible on our [offenses] end.

"And I think it’s our job to play at as high a level as possible, and we have a lot of young g uys on defense that we anticipate playing well and being good players. But trying to allow those guys to come along and find their groove, our job on offense is to allow them to be able to do that.”

Bengals fans, and Burrow, are hoping those defensive leaps come sooner rather than later. Check out the full story from Breer here.