Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Cincinnati Bengals superstar Joe Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL … right?
After all, Burrow has finished in the top five of the NFL MVP voting twice in the last three seasons. In that span, he’s thrown for an average of 3,900 yards, 31 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Those are elite numbers.
Cincinnati is 26-17 over that span. A respectable record, but not exactly one that blows you away. However, the overwhelming belief is that most of those losses are due to the Bengals’ putrid defense.
Don’t believe me? Just ask Cincy running back Chase Brown.
However, a funny thing has happened in recent weeks. After Burrow suffered a turf toe injury that has kept him sidelined, the Bengals have continued to lose games. But since trading for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati’s offense has been on fire.
Now, fans are beginning to ask questions.
Is Joe Burrow’s Massive Contract Holding The Cincinnati Bengals Back
Since acquiring Flacco, who is 40 years old and has spent the last handful of years bouncing around teams, the Bengals lead the league in EPA (Expected Points Added) per play. They also rank second in success rate.
In his four starts, Flacco is 111-of-150 passing, a 74 percent completion percentage, for 1,241 yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception. One would even call those Burrow-esque numbers.
Flacco’s eye-popping numbers have begun to raise some questions among not just Cincinnati fans, but NFL fans on the whole.
“They said Joe Burrow O-line was a problem and somehow 40-year-old JoeFlacco has the Bengals averaging 35 points a game,” one fan pointed out.
“Bengals with JoeFlacco is the same outcome as with JoeBurrow tbh,” controversial former NFL backup QB Kurt Benkert stated.”
Burrow is currently in year two of a five-year, $275 million contract that runs through 2029. That deal has some Bengals fans wondering if the money might be better allocated to fix the defense, while star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins carry the load on offense.
“Bengals need to trade JoeBurrow and get somedefense,” one fan wrote. “Joe Flacco has shown you don’t need Joe Burrow’s bigcontract for the offense to flow how it should.”
“With Burrow, you’ll need to put more money into the o-line as well,” wrote another. “Can’t do that and defense so not sure why you think keeping him is the best option.”
So while Joe Burrow may well be elite, is his contract really worth it to the Bengals if they want to win a Super Bowl?