NFL people reportedly have this major concern about Bengals' Joe Burrow

Just when Cincinnati Bengals fans may have assumed things couldn't get worse for the 4-10 club, quarterback Joe Burrow raised eyebrows when he mentioned last week that he needed "to have fun [playing] again." 

Some wondered at the time if Burrow was making it known he'd like a fresh start with a different team. According to ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano, some around the league had a different reaction upon hearing Burrow's remarks. 

Is Joe Burrow the NFL's next Andrew Luck?

"A couple of the people whom I've spoken to about this worry that Burrow could be going down a road similar to former Colts QB Andrew Luck, who retired early because he grew weary of constantly rehabbing injuries," Graziano wrote. "But I also spoke to a couple of people who insist Burrow is obsessively competitive, loves football and is just down about the way this season has gone from a win-loss standpoint."

The first pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee in November of his rookie season. His 2023 campaign ended prematurely because of a wrist injury, and he went down with a toe injury in Week 2 of this season that left him needing surgery and kept him sidelined until Week 13. 

"It's important to note that Burrow has never said he's unhappy in Cincinnati and has taken opportunities, even recently, to explicitly state the opposite," Graziano added. "But his recent comments about his own happiness and the way he and the team played Sunday in a must-win game aren't helping tamp down the outside speculation that things aren't great between him and the Bengals."

Could Joe Burrow spark change for Bengals?

A Tuesday report indicated that the Bengals plan to retain head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel/de facto general manager Duke Tobin through the offseason. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk shared on Wednesday that the Bengals' front office may ask Burrow if a new coach could "make football fun again." 

The answer to such a question may determine if Taylor holds onto his job, assuming Burrow doesn't follow in Luck's footsteps this coming winter.