Barring a major upset, Joe Burrow is going to be a Cincinnati Bengal in just a few short months. Considering the Bengals have not won a playoff game in two decades, many have wondered if Burrow would prefer not to play for them. There has been no indication that the Heisman Trophy winner feels that way.
According to one report from FOX 19’s Jeremy Rauch, Burrow and his family are starting to get annoyed at the narrative that the quarterback could pull an Eli Manning by refusing to play for the team that drafts him.
Family source also tells me Joe Burrow would never “pull an Eli Manning” if drafted No. 1 by the #Bengals.
The family has been a bit annoyed by that narrative.
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) January 23, 2020
Manning and his father, Archie, stated publicly before the 2004 NFL Draft that Manning would refuse to sign a contract with the then-San Diego Chargers if they drafted him. The Chargers drafted Manning with the first overall pick anyway, but they immediately traded him to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers. There was some belief that a precedent would be set for other quarterbacks to do the same, but we haven’t seen it since.
Burrow lived in Ohio when he was a kid and played high school ball in Athens, where he set numerous records. That probably helps the Bengals in this situation, but Burrow has also said he is willing to play for any NFL team that wants him.
If the Bengals were concerned about Burrow pulling a Manning, we probably would not be hearing reports like this about them. Burrow is the safest pick in the draft, and there’s a 99.9999999 percent chance Cincinnati has already made a decision.
