The Cincinnati Bengals followed up back-to-back AFC Championship runs with three consecutive seasons sitting at home during the postseason tournament. In the NFL, a triplet of disappointing campaigns can feel like eternity.
In that backdrop, rumors swirled this offseason – founded or unfounded – that star quarterback Joe Burrow is unhappy in Cincinnati and would like to force a trade out of Ohio.
Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown dismissed the rumors that Burrow wants out during an appearance on Fan Duel TV’s “Up & Adams” show on Monday.
“At the end of the day, no matter where you are, winning cures all,” he told Kay Adams. “These last three years, we haven’t been in the playoffs, so of course that kind of buzz is going to come. I think that’s part of the business. That’s part of PR. That’s part of drawing money and attention. Whether it’s real or not, I don’t think it’s real. At the end of the day, Joe gives his all for the city and he loves being a Bengal. He loves what he’s doing for a living. Like I said, it all comes down to winning. We get in the playoffs, and we start putting ourselves in position to play in February, I think a lot of that kind of stuff will die down naturally.”
Burrow, who missed nine games in 2025 due to injury, has a right to be frustrated. The Bengals have failed to provide the star QB a complementary defense that could give the offense a chance. The backup quarterback situation was also a problem last year, with Cincy going 1-8 in non-Burrow starts.
Being frustrated with the lack of success and wanting out are two very different things. Brown said he hasn’t talked with Burrow about it, but said the rumors are just part of being a high-profile NFL player.
“To be honest, I’ve never really spoken to him about it,” he said. “I’m just under the assumption that it’s part of the business. I think today’s NFL, and even throughout the course of NFL history, media has driven the sport. It’s what makes football, football. It makes American football so popular. These storylines are always great, but a lot of times they are full of s—.”
Even if Burrow wanted out, the Bengals and owner Mike Brown have a history of rejecting that sort of play. Would the QB be willing to pull a Carson Palmer and sit out until he got his way? That feels like the only method to force a trade from Cincy. Until Burrow lights a fire by pushing the narrative that he wants out, we can safely brush aside the offseason smoke as a product of a rumor mill that always needs something to burn.
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