The legend of Joe Burrow as a football sicko continues to grow.
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback missed a good chunk of the 2025 season after suffering a toe injury early in the campaign. Burrow underwent surgery in September and had a recovery period that was supposed to keep him out for virtually the entire season. But Burrow reportedly refused to let the normal medical timeline limit him.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Burrow was supposed to “spend most of this season stuck in a cast.” The Bengals’ team doctors advised him to keep the cast on until they deemed it ready to be taken off. Instead, Burrow “cut it off himself” shortly after his surgery and “got to work rehabbing” with a Thanksgiving return in mind.
Burrow ultimately succeeded. What was supposed to be a four-month recovery period got cut in half, just like his cast. The two-time Pro Bowler came back to lead the Bengals to a resounding Thanksgiving win over the Baltimore Ravens. But with Cincinnati’s Week 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the team’s playoff aspirations are all but dead.
In the same report, Russini detailed Burrow’s frustrations with the Bengals organization. Burrow’s recent comments have even had Bengals fans worried about another Andrew Luck situation with their star QB.
Burrow may not be headed for a surprise retirement or trade request at the moment. But major changes may need to happen in Cincinnati to keep the team’s superstar QB happy.
