Bengals quarterback joins exclusive club of top-ranked players
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This $275 million QB received high praise in a recent coaches poll.
After an impressive preseason showing, things are on the rise for the Cincinnati Bengals. They may have lost to the reigning Super Bowl Champions, but The Athletic’s latest poll shows just how good their quarterback is.
Joe Burrow’s $275 million contract is similar to that of other top quarterbacks in the league. While many of the other highest paid stars already have a ring, Burrow’s team has failed to make the playoffs in the last two seasons. Regardless, NFL coaches and executives still see him in a different light.
The Athletic’s NFL Coaches and Executives Poll Ranks Joe Burrow as a Unanimous Tier 1 QB
Never before has Burrow been voted a “unanimous tier 1 QB” in The Athletic’s poll. He joins exclusive company with Matthew Stafford, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes also in the top tier.
Of those quarterbacks, Jackson and Stafford jumped one tier. Both were stuck in tier 2 last season, with Jackson’s ranking coming as a shock. In seemingly every rankings out there, Jackson is in the top three.
Regardless, no one from tier 2 fell out of tier 1. Burrow, Allen, and Mahomes remained from last season. The Athletic describes the tier Burrow is in, “A Tier 1 quarterback can carry his team each week. The team wins because of him. He expertly handles pure-passing situations. He has no real holes in his game.”
The Athletic’s poll includes a panel of 50 voters, “The panel comprised six general managers, six assistant GMs, six former GMs, five other executives, eight head coaches and 19 other coaches, including 15 coordinators.”
Similar to how ESPN conducts their Top 10 rankings, Mike Sando compiles this list every year. Burrow is one of three mainstays in the top tier as the Bengals look to break their postseason drought.
Joe Burrow Earned His Tier 1 Ranking
“He is the closest thing to Joe Montana that I have seen,” one NFL head coach said.
A defensive coach added, “He’s a stud, particularly with those freaks he has out there at receiver. I respect the arm talent, don’t get me wrong, but you have to be able to fool him presnap, and you have to be able to rush with four and get there.”
“To me, it’s Mahomes and then Burrow if I had to rank them,” an offensive coach said.
Had the Bengals made the playoffs, Burrow’s 2024 season would have won him the league’s Most Valuable Player award. It’s an award that’s eluded Burrow in his five-year NFL career. That said, he is a two-time Comeback Player of the Year award winner as his 2020 and 2023 seasons were cut short.
For the first time in his career, Burrow led the league in passing yards and touchdowns. It comes as no surprise that the 2020 No. 1 overall pick’s numbers last year earned him a unanimous tier 1 ranking in this year’s QB list.
The 28-year-old was named to his second Pro-Bowl last season. His other major NFL accomplishment came in 2021 when he led the league with his 70.4% completion percentage. Even though Burrow topped that number last season (70.6%), it wasn’t enough to surpass Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa’s number is a bit skewed as he only started 11 games. Regardless, his 72.9% won him the award. Ultimately, Burrow was still slightly behind Jared Goff (72.4%) and Baker Mayfield (71.4%).