Joe Burrow addresses possible Bengals breakup and retirement speculation: What his comments really mean

Burrow plans to play a long time while acknowledging the realities of his NFL future

CINCINNATI -- It's the season of giving, and for Bengals fans, that hasn't necessarily been a good thing, because the only thing Joe Burrow has been giving them over the past two weeks is anxiety. Last week, Burrow sounded like someone who wasn't having very much fun playing football, leading to some speculation that he might pull an Andrew Luck. 

Well, there will be no early retirement for Burrow, which he made clear on Wednesday. The quarterback said he plans to play "for a long time," which should have fans in Cincinnati celebrating, except that Burrow also admitted that he's thought about the possibility of leaving the Bengals at some point. 

Here we go again. 

Burrow's words were interesting, but based on everything he had to say at his press conference, it doesn't seem like he necessarily wants out of Cincinnati. With that in mind, let's break down all the important stuff. 

Joe Burrow talks about his future

The Bengals quarterback was asked two simple questions on Wednesday and answered them both honestly. First, he was asked if there's any world where he's not the Bengals quarterback next year. 

"I can't see that. No," Burrow said. Alright, he's locked in for 2026. 

Next, Burrow was asked if he's ever thought about the possibility of not being the quarterback in Cincinnati at some point down the road. 

"You think about a lot of things," Burrow said. 

OK, so that could be a red flag, but is it? 

Joe Burrow, asked about playing for another team. pic.twitter.com/3E8Qv1NOX7

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) December 17, 2025

Most NFL players probably would have given a stock answer here and said, "Yeah, I plan to be here forever," but Burrow isn't most NFL players. He says what's on his mind. 

In the very same press conference, he was asked if he had ever thought about not playing and maybe just retiring. 

"I mean, you think about it, but you think about a lot of different things in your life just like everybody does," Burrow said. 

Has Burrow thought about retirement? Yes, he just said so, but that doesn't mean he's planning on calling it quits anytime soon. Has Burrow thought about leaving the Bengals at some point down the road? Yes, he just said so, but that doesn't mean he's not going to be in Cincinnati for most of his career. 

As Burrow said, he thinks about a lot of different things. Instead of keeping those thoughts to himself like most players, he shares his personal thoughts and then we all run off and try to interpret those thoughts, which is something he's well aware of. 

"I think a lot in my life, I'm fairly quiet, so I often don't say a lot, and so, people then like to fill in the gaps here and there," Burrow said. "I think about what I say a lot and don't necessarily care what comes of it."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Burrow in a nutshell: He says what's on his mind and doesn't worry about how people react. 

Joe Burrow clarifies recent comments, says he has 'a lot of confidence' in Bengals front office

Bryan DeArdo

Burrow wants to play for a long time

After last week's comments made it sound like Burrow might have lost his love for football, he made it absolutely clear he wants to have a long career. 

"I'm going to be playing for a long time. I expect to play for a long time and I expect to play well and consistently great for a long time," Burrow said. 

The Bengals franchise quarterback then pointed out that multiple quarterbacks have played into their 40s, hinting that he might try to do the same. 

"I think people have proven that you can play at a high level for a long time," Burrow said. "Tom Brady proved it. Peyton Manning proved it. Drew Brees proved it. Aaron Rodgers is proving it. Joe Flacco is proving it, so I want to be in the conversations with people like that and I do everything I need to do for my body to prepare it for these games and for long-term success, and so I plan on doing it for a long time at a high level."

Burrow is also well aware that every quarterback he named played for multiple teams, so when he says he might end up leaving Cincinnati at some point, he was essentially just acknowledging the realities of the NFL. 

"A lot of crazy things happen every year," Burrow said. "Micah Parsons got traded right before the season. That's something I hadn't seen in a long time in the NFL. So crazy things can happen."

Burrow is under contract through 2029, and it's almost impossible to see him leave Cincinnati before then. 

Burrow seems on board with the coaching staff and front office... for now

Although the Bengals are 4-10, there's a good chance they won't be making any big changes this offseason. Zac Taylor is under contract through 2027, not 2026, as previously believed, per The Athletic. The Bengals have never fired a coach who has more than one full year left on his deal, so it seems like a pretty safe assumption that Taylor will return next season. One thing working in Taylor's favor is that Burrow seems to like the job his head coach is doing. 

"I think we have great coaches," Burrow said when asked about the coaching staff. "I think we're consistently put in good positions to make plays and do our best. Obviously, there's good games and bad games, just like players have good games and bad games. But I have a lot of confidence in everybody that's putting together the plans for us week in and week out."

The Bengals have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, but Burrow doesn't blame the coaching staff. The quarterback has missed a total of 16 games during that span, and it sounds like he thinks his injuries are the big reason why Cincinnati hasn't been to the playoffs since 2022. The Bengals are 3-2 with Burrow as their starter this season, but 1-8 without him. He missed nine games due to a Grade 3 turf toe injury he suffered in Week 2. 

"We haven't been where we want to be the last three years," Burrow said. "A big part of that is the injuries on my end. It's hard to make an impact on a season when you only play four games."

The 29-year-old signal-caller might not want out of Cincinnati, but he does want to see some changes going forward. 

"We have to think outside the box and get creative about where we go from here," Burrow said.

The one big thing with the Bengals is that Burrow has the ear of ownership. Last year, he called for the team to get Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson and Mike Gesicki under contract; the Bengals ended up getting a deal done with each player. 

This year, Burrow is confident the Bengals' front office will make any necessary changes during the upcoming offseason. 

"We all want to win," Burrow said. "We all want to do whatever it takes to win. We have a lot of smart people here that know how to put the right people and decision-makers in place to try to be our best. We've done it before. We'll have to do it again."

Burrow could have said nothing when asked about the team's ownership, but like I said earlier, he speaks his mind. The good news for the Bengals is that Burrow seems to still have plenty of confidence in the front office, but if they miss the playoffs again in 2026 or if the team struggles, that patience could start to wear thin. If that happens, he might not just "think" about playing for another team -- he might actually ask to go to another team. 

The Bengals need to do their best to keep their superstar quarterback happy, and the best way to do that is to win games.