Major Joe Burrow decision announced by Bengals HC Zac Taylor after playoff elimination

Anyone who’s played or followed sports in their lives knows: it’s no fun to lose. No matter what those “participation trophy” parents say. Losing sucks. 

And Joe Burrow has been losing a lot, which he revealed has been weighing on him heavily in recent weeks. He said he wasn’t having “fun” anymore. And if there’s no fun, what’s the point?

Burrow was used to winning—and only winning—before arriving in the NFL. He led an undefeated team to the National Championship in 2019. But since he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020, there’s been a lot of losing.

There was that run to the Super Bowl in 2021, but apart from that it’s been dark days in Cincy despite having a franchise quarterback. Over the last three years, he’s gone just 17-15 as a starter with the Bengals going 22-26 overall. Burrow has also been injured nearly every year he’s been in the league. 

Despite the Bengals being at full strength, they were humbled (and blanked) in a 24-0 loss to the division rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 that dropped them to 4-10. At this point, one may have thought that Cincinnati would hold Burrow back and save his mental and physical health down the stretch.

Zac Taylor says that won’t be the case. Cincinnati’s head coach announced on Monday that Burrow would remain the team’s starter for the rest of the season despite them having nothing to play for, per Ari Meirov. The reasoning is as simple as, “we want to win,” and there reportedly has been no consideration of sitting the beleaguered QB.

He’s just a couple of months removed from toe surgery. He had calf and wrist issues in 2023, and he tore his knee up completely in 2020. Burrow’s mental state is not where he wants it either. Losing, the break-in he suffered last year, dealing with rehab. It’s a lot to  handle.

Burrow is not immune to serious physical ailments, so sitting him for the final three meaningless games makes sense. He’s also not in an excellent mental state, which is even more reason to give him some extra time off.

Bengals could be playing to save Zac Taylor’s job down the stretch

But while the Bengals won’t be playing for the postseason, they could be playing for their head coach’s job. Zac Taylor became the head honcho in 2019, and since that 2021 Super Bowl run, his team has not been able to maintain the level of success that run suggested was coming.

One would think an offensive guru could figure out how to maximize Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. But no playoffs for three seasons capped by a campaign in which he could finish with his worst record since Burrow’s rookie year could spell trouble for Taylor.

On top of trying to win games to save Taylor’s job, the Bengals are also setting a positive precedent for the league overall: sport over logic. When players are healthy in the NFL, they are supposed to play. That’s what fans pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for when they come to the stadium: to see Joe Burrow, not Jake Browning.