T
he Cincinnati Bengals are 2-2 to begin the 2026 NFL season and are still looking to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the AFC. Missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year last season, the team is hoping that players like quarterback Joe Burrow can stay healthy and bring the team back to being true Super Bowl contenders.
Burrow has started this season off well despite some blunders by the team. Since joining the NFL in 2020, he has turned the Bengals around– from a team with zero playoff wins since the early 1990s to making it to the Super Bowl in 2021. Ken Anderson, the Bengals quarterback from 1971-1986, sat down with RG Sports’ DJ Siddiqi and had high praise for Burrow while making a bold declaration.
Anderson: Burrow is happy with the Bengals
Burrow has been a star for the Bengals since taking over as the starting quarterback and has turned the franchise around in multiple ways– including that Super Bowl appearance and turning the Bengals into one of the league’s most lethal offenses. But he has had injury issues while also experiencing disappointment in recent years with three straight seasons of missing the playoffs. Still, Anderson sees Burrow as the Bengals’ quarterback for the long haul and does not think the three-time Pro Bowl selection will leave the franchise.
“I do not,” Anderson told Siddiqi. “I think, No. 1, he likes it here. He’s an Ohio kid. I think that he’s seen the organization make every effort to go out and to win a championship. I think he’ll continue, the organization will continue along that path. So I think he’s happy here, and of course we’ll all be happier when they win a Super Bowl.”
Before Burrow, Andy Dalton was the team’s quarterback from 2011-2019. During that time, the Bengals won a lot of games and had good teams, but could never get over the hump when it came to the playoffs. If Burrow can bring a Super Bowl to Cincinnati and break the spell, he will cement his legendary status and forever be hailed a hero.
Anderson Declares Burrow is NFL’s Best QB
Anderson did not stop there. In addition to his belief that Burrow is never leaving, he also declared that he is the best quarterback in the league– even better than Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson.
“I would pick Joe,” Anderson told Siddiqi. “I wouldn’t trade him for anybody. Josh Allen is having a great year. He’s a different kind of quarterback, and Patrick Mahomes is different. They all have their own different styles. But if I had to pick a guy to start a franchise with, it’s going to be Joe.”
Burrow has shined at every level he has played at, winning the Heisman Trophy in his final season at LSU in 2019. But he has only gotten better in the NFL, proving that his skillset translates perfectly. According to Anderson, a lot of that has to do with his mechanics.
“For a quarterback, his mechanics are so spot on,” Anderson told Siddiqi. “But you watch him in practice and the way that he works on everything and all the little nuances of the game of playing quarterback. He doesn’t leave a stone unturned.”
Legendary Bengals QB has high praise for Joe Burrow