The Cincinnati Bengals have high expectations entering this NFL season, and they’ll kick things off at home Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A lot of those expectations center around star quarterback Joe Burrow, who’s entering his seventh NFL season.
Burrow and the Bengals made the Super Bowl in 2021 and reached back-to-back AFC Championship Games, but they’ve missed the playoffs in three straight years. While that’s been due in large part to his health and a poor defense, some believe this could be a make-or-break year for Burrow’s future in the Queen City.
He addressed his future in Cincinnati during an exclusive interview with Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson that was published on Tuesday.
Burrow Makes Statement on Bengals Future
The three-time Pro Bowl QB noted that he is “efficient” with his words, and sometimes that leaves the door open to “interpretation,” which fans have certainly run with over some of his prior comments.
“I’m efficient with my words, and when I’m efficient with my words, that leaves some room for interpretation,” Burrow said. “But I mean what I say. I’m here for the long haul. I’m not going anywhere. Just trying to bring a now-or-never mentality to the day-by-day process. If you’re not, what are you doing? Attack the day with a championship mindset. The rest will take care of itself.”
Burrow made it clear that he’s proud to lead the Bengals and represent the city of Cincinnati, which is still vying for its first Super Bowl victory.
“I’m just really proud to be quarterback of the Bengals,” Burrow added. “I’m just proud and I want to make everybody else proud, too.”
Looking at the 2026 Bengals
Cincinnati has made it a priority this offseason to try and rebuild their defense, which in many eyes, they’ve done.
They made a blockbuster trade for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. And then went out in free agency and added pass rusher Boye Mafe, DT Jonathan Allen, and safeties Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger.
Outside of the defense, which very well could be the deciding factor in how good this team can be, the offense has retained just about everybody and remains easily one of the most talented in the entire NFL.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow Makes Strong Statement Ahead of Buccaneers Game