Burrow shares new outlook on career after returning from third major injury.
The Cincinnati Bengals were expected to be a playoff contender this season after Joe Burrow led the league in passing yards and touchdowns in 2024, but a turf toe injury in Week 2 changed everything and forced the quarterback to adopt a new mindset about what it takes to keep playing the game he loves.
Cincinnati sits at 4-9 following Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills, locking them into their first losing season since 2020, and despite the disappointing year, Burrow is trying to find joy in just being on the field again.
Burrow Reveals New Approach to His Career
Burrow spoke to reporters on Wednesday and opened up about how his perspective has shifted following his third serious injury in six NFL seasons.
"If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it," Burrow said. "I have been through a lot. If it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? That is the mindset I am trying to bring to the table."
When asked if he seemed frustrated, Burrow gave an honest answer: "There are just a lot of things going on right now. A lot of things going on."
When pressed on whether those issues were football-related or personal, Burrow kept it simple: "All of the above."
The 29-year-old quarterback, who celebrated his birthday on Wednesday, has dealt with more than his share of setbacks throughout his career.
He tore his ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus as a rookie in 2020, ending his first season after just 10 games, and then a wrist injury cut his 2023 campaign short after 10 games before this year's Grade 3 turf toe injury required surgery and kept him out for nine weeks.
Numbers Since His Return
Since returning on Thanksgiving night against the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow has shown he can still play at an elite level, throwing for 545 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 49 of 82 passes across two games.
His performance against Buffalo was especially impressive with 284 yards and four touchdowns, though back-to-back fourth-quarter interceptions proved costly in the 39-34 loss.
The Bengals went 1-8 without Burrow this season, but his return sparked a 32-14 upset win over the Ravens on Thanksgiving, and despite the team's struggles, Burrow said earlier this month that he's just grateful to be playing again.
"I'm just trying to find the fun in it again," Burrow said last week. "These last three years have been pretty brutal with two injuries, and then the season we had last year. It's been a while since I was able to have fun doing this."
The Bengals will host those same Ravens this Sunday in a crucial AFC North matchup, and while Baltimore currently sits at 8-5 atop the division with Cincinnati's playoff hopes all but gone, Burrow isn't thinking about shutting things down even with nothing tangible left to play for.
For a quarterback who has already overcome so much, finding fun in the game might be exactly what he needs to keep going.