The Cincinnati Bengals have either the best or the second-best quarterback in all of football.
As such, they should be expected to be a Super Bowl-caliber team every single year.
That hasn’t always been the case, but that has had nothing to do with Joe Burrow.
With that in mind, former NFL player Louis Riddick called out the Bengals for essentially wasting his brilliance.
Talking on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Riddick didn’t hold back on the Bengals:
“As measured by getting to Super Bowls and being true Super Bowl contenders, of course they are [wasting Joe Burrow’s brilliance]. As much as we want to pin Cincinnati’s shortcomings on the quarterback, we know that this isn’t the case here. The young man is doing everything he possibly can. There’s no doubt that the organization right now is failing to build a strong 53-man roster that can compete against the elite teams in the NFL,” Riddick said.
.@LRiddickESPN believes the Bengals are wasting Joe Burrow's brilliance.
"As much as we want to pin Cincinnati's shortcomings on the quarterback … we know that this isn't the case here." pic.twitter.com/AAffq6uTUw
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 13, 2025
The Bengals have gotten off to slow starts every year of the Zac Taylor era.
That has cost them way too many times, with Joe Burrow and the offense having to do all the heavy lifting just to make sure the team stays afloat and in playoff contention.
Burrow posted some of the most impressive numbers by any quarterback in NFL history last season, all while Ja’Marr Chase led all wide receivers in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
Even so, the Bengals didn’t even make the playoffs.
The front office has gone to great lengths to rub their players the wrong way, and, with all due respect, Cincinnati isn’t necessarily the most appealing free-agency destination.
It seems like this organization is just hoping that Burrow will single-handedly lead them to the top, and while he’s certainly capable of that, they’re not doing much to help him.
He’s still under contract, and it’s highly unlikely that he will ever leave, but this team is wasting the career of one of the most gifted passers of all time.
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