Ed Orgeron shares his reaction to surprising Joe Burrow comments

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made some comments last week that few people saw coming, and his former college coach was taken aback by the remarks as well.

Following a tough 39-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, Burrow seemed to create some doubt over whether he is committed to continuing his NFL career beyond the 2025 season. Burrow suggested that he has not been having fun playing and admitted he has questioned his future.

During a recent interview with Ryan Morik of Fox News, former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron was asked about Burrow's viral news conference. Orgeron, who coached Burrow for two seasons at LSU and won a championship with the QB in 2019, said he has never heard Burrow speak that way.

Orgeron also expressed confidence that Burrow will snap out of whatever funk the two-time Pro Bowl selection is currently in.

"I never heard Joe sound like that, so it did strike me, yeah," Orgeron said. "But Joe's going to bounce back. Joe's a fighter. He might have had a bad day, so somebody might have told him something that p'd him off on the way over there. I don't know, but I do believe he's a fighter and I do believe he has a lot of football left. I do believe he's going to fight through it."

Joe Burrow has had a trying season

Burrow missed nine games this season after undergoing surgery on his foot. There was some hope that he might return and help lead the Bengals to the playoffs, but the team fell to 4-10 with back-to-back losses to the Bills and Baltimore Ravens. Burrow threw four interceptions across the two games.

Burrow is only in his sixth NFL season, but he has already been named NFL Comeback Player of the Year twice. That shows not only that he is capable of overcoming adversity, but also that he has suffered numerous significant injuries early on in his career.

It is hardly a surprise that Burrow is not enjoying himself all that much in 2025. The Bengals entered the season with playoff aspirations, but Burrow's injury set them back. Though some have wondered whether Burrow could request a trade, he insists his recent comments had nothing to do with being unhappy in Cincinnati.

If Burrow can remain healthy, the Bengals will have a chance to contend in 2026. The big question of the offseason will be whether the 29-year-old is committed to continuing his career in Cincinnati, if at all.