The partnership between Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals has not gone according to plan. What once appeared to be the start of a sustained championship window has instead been disrupted by injuries and inconsistent results.
Cincinnati is coming off another disappointing season, finishing 6-11 and missing the playoffs for the third straight year. The lack of continuity, which has largely been as a result of poor roster construction, particularly on defense, has stalled the franchise’s momentum during the Burrow era.
As a result, the 2026 season is widely viewed as pivotal for Burrow’s future in Cincinnati. Now 29 years old, Burrow enters the fourth year of his five-year, $275 million extension signed in 2023, a deal that could potentially run through 2029 and carries a $62.4 million cap hit in 2026. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted Monday that league observers have begun to question whether continued struggles could lead the superstar quarterback to reassess his long-term situation.
Frustrating seven years for Joe Burrow in Cincinnati
If asked to define Burrow’s career so far, it’s been a combination of elite production when healthy and clear drop-offs in team performance when he is unavailable. Selected first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU, Burrow played 10 games as a rookie before a season-ending knee injury. He completed 264 of 404 passes for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions as Cincinnati finished 4-11-1.
He returned fully in 2021 and delivered a breakout season, throwing for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 70.4 percent of his passes for a 108.3 passer rating. The Bengals went 10-7 and reached the Super Bowl.
In 2022, Burrow followed with 4,475 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across 16 games, leading Cincinnati to a 12-4 record and another AFC Championship Game appearance.
Injuries again interrupted his trajectory in 2023, when a wrist issue limited him to 10 games. He threw for 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions as the Bengals finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
Burrow responded with one of the best seasons of his career in 2024, starting all 17 games and recording 4,918 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 108.5 passer rating and a 70.6 completion percentage, returning Cincinnati to playoff contention.
However, 2025 marked another setback. Burrow played just eight games, completing 173 of 259 passes for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions as the Bengals again fell out of the playoff picture.
Bengals overhaul defense with aggressive offseason moves to support Joe Burrow
To the Bengals front office’s credit, the response to last season’s defensive shortcomings has been urgent and deliberate. Cincinnati has made a series of notable additions across all three levels of the defense, signaling a clear intent to maximize Joe Burrow’s championship window.
The most significant move came via trade, with the Bengals acquiring defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, a Pro Bowl-caliber interior presence expected to anchor the defensive line. Alongside that headline addition, Cincinnati has been active in free agency, signing edge rusher Boye Mafe to bolster the pass rush and adding veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to reinforce the interior.
In the secondary, the Bengals targeted stability and tackling efficiency by bringing in safety Bryan Cook, while also adding depth pieces such as cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor and safety Kyle Dugger.
On paper, the results are encouraging. The defensive line, in particular, projects as significantly improved with Lawrence, Allen, and Mafe forming a new-look unit designed to generate pressure and control the line of scrimmage. The backend additions should also help reduce missed tackles and improve overall defensive reliability.
More importantly, these moves indicate that Cincinnati understands the urgency of the moment. With Burrow entering a critical phase of his career and contract, the organization has taken tangible steps to build a more balanced roster capable of supporting its franchise quarterback.
However, while the Bengals appear more formidable heading into the 2026 season, the key question remains unanswered, and execution will ultimately determine whether these changes are enough to return Cincinnati to contention.