Burrow makes long-term commitment to NFL despite previous uncertainty

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Joe Burrow makes long-term commitment to NFL despite previous uncertainty

By Paul White | Last updated Aug 31, 2026 6:39 PM ET

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had one of the most unique paths to the NFL, and his story hasn’t gotten any more conventional since making it to the pros.

Burrow had two relatively inactive seasons at Ohio State before transferring to LSU, where had one of the greatest college football seasons of all time in his senior year. He tore his ACL midway through his rookie season in the NFL, then returned to take Cincinnati to back-to-back AFC Championship games and one Super Bowl.

However, the last three years of his career have been plagued by injuries, and the team has underperformed as a result, missing the postseason in each of those seasons. Constantly being sidelined and not competing for championships has taken a toll on Burrow, and while he’s never explicitly mentioned retirement, he made comments last season that indicated he might not want to play in the NFL for a long time.

Joe Burrow has new outlook on NFL future after previous reservations

But he had an encouraging quote on Monday from an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that definitively put the early retirement concerns to bed.

“I used to think I didn’t want to play very long, and now I’m like, I’m just going to go until I can’t do it anymore,” said Burrow.

The former Comeback Player of the Year didn’t say why he didn’t want to play a long time previously, but we have seen quarterbacks in similar situations call it quits early in their careers before.

Burrow is the fourth-most-sacked quarterback in the league since he joined in 2020, and taking a beating can wear a player down. The news that former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was retiring infamously emerged during a preseason game in 2019, and he made the decision because of the toll that injuries — which stemmed from his team’s poor offensive line — took on him.

Whatever Burrow was conflicted about in the past, he seems to have moved past it now and is focused on having a long career. He is still in the prime of his career and has many more opportunities to return to the trajectory he was on earlier in his career.

The Bengals had very little success as a franchise before Burrow, and it would be hard to find another quarterback who comes close to his talent level. Luckily for Cincinnati, that’s something it shouldn’t have to worry about for a long time.

Paul White

Paul White is a contract writer from Philadelphia who attended Penn State University. He has contributed hundreds of stories about the NFL and NBA over the years and now brings that experience over to Yardbarker. He is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan looking to bring the same passion from his city to sports media.

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