Joe Burrow missed nine games in 2025 aftertearing ligaments in his toe during a Week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That early injury required surgery, and for the third year in a row, the Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs, leaving Burrow on the sidelines for the postseason. He did return after missing nine games, but it was too late, and the Bengals ended the campaign with a 6-11 record.
By March 2026, he returned to the field for aflag football exhibition in Los Angeles. In this charity tournament, he teamed up with Jayden Daniels for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks for the locker room after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 15 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. The Bengals were shut out, 24-0.
It is worth noting that the contest was just a fun offseason event, but Burrow seemed unnecessarily rough during it. He took several hard hits and hit the ground, leading to fears that he was risking his 2026 season before it even began.
Joe Burrow nearly injured himself in flag football
Burrow spent the March exhibition running and taking hits, which rattled fans considering he’d just recovered from toe surgery. During the flag football, he was hitbelow the knees while trying to catch a pass. It was a fairly high-speed collision for a franchise quarterback that Cincinnati will want protected at all costs.
In the second half, a teammate threw Burrow a dangerous hospital pass that could have caused a devastating injury.Clips of him in rough play have since turned viral online. One reporter even compared the stress of watching Burrow play to having a stroke.
We have got to simulate the rest of the offseason, I can’t watch Joe Burrow risk injury for this stupid flag football stuff💀
pic.twitter.com/GeO3ZdxXzr
— Bengals Central (@BengalsCentral_) March 22, 2026
However, the Wildcats eventually lost 24-14 to Team USA. Burrow threw an early interception that put his team in a hole they couldn’t climb out of, ending their run in the tournament.
The main takeaway is that Burrow stayed healthy. He has only played 77 games over six seasons, so avoiding injury in a flag football game is a relief for the Bengals’ front office. Despite the rough day, Burrow seems focused on something very important coming next.
Joe Burrow targets 2028 Olympics after flag football classic
Joe Burrow didn’t visit Los Angeles just for a weekend exhibition; he was focused on the 2028 Olympics. Speaking at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic on March 20, 2026, Burrow confirmed he wants to play for Team USA.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the Olympics,” Burrowsaid in the recent presser. “The opportunity to win a gold medal is something I’ve thought about since I was a kid. It would be very special.”
Flag football debuts as an Olympic sport in 2028, and the NFL has already cleared active players to compete. Though some wonder if Burrow will be past his prime by then, he will only be 31. So, he would not cause him to be aged out of consideration for the next Olympics. Many NFL quarterbacks continue to play at an elite level well into their mid-to-late 30s.