Few teams in the NFL can say their entire future rests on one player — the Cincinnati Bengals are one of those teams.
That one player for the Bengals, quarterback Joe Burrow, became a trending topic on X on May 6 after he returned to practice and throwing the football for the first time since he suffered a season-ending wrist injury that required surgery against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 11, 2023.
It was Burrow’s second season-ending injury in four seasons, following major knee surgery as a rookie in 2020. In total, Burrow has missed 16 games due to injury since 2020 — including seven games to end the 2023 season.
The Bengals dropped the first video of Burrow throwing on their official X account, posting: “HE IS SO BACK.”
Burrow Signed Record-Setting Contract in 2023
The Bengals made Burrow the highest-paid player in NFL history in March 2023, when they signed him to a 5-year, $275 million contract extension which pays him an average of $55 million per season.
Burrow’s payday was well-earned. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of LSU, Burrow led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021 and back to the AFC Championship Game in 2022.
The Bengals have also seen the value of their franchise increase exponentially since Burrow was drafted. According to Statista, the Bengals were valued at $2 billion in 2019 — the year before Burrow was drafted — and were valued at $3.5 billion in 2023.
With Burrow out, backup quarterback Jake Browning filled in admirably but the Bengals missed the playoffs for the first time since Burrow’s rookie season and finished the season 9-8 — last place in the AFC North.
Will Bengals Rise to Top of AFC in 2024?
With the return of Burrow, the Bengals have not only their best player back but still have a strong nucleus around him — LSU teammate and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is one of the NFL’s best at his position and another standout wide receiver, Tee Higgins, will play on the franchise tag in 2024.
The Bengals added more offensive help for Burrow in the 2024 NFL draft — some that will help right away and some that will help down the road.
Cincinnati drafted massive Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims in the first round (No. 18 overall) but he might start his career playing behind Trent Brown at right tackle.
In forms of immediate help, the Bengals took Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round (No. 80 overall) — potentially a plug-and-play starter who dropped in the draft due to off-field concerns.
Burton played his first two seasons at Georgia and won a College Football Playoff national championship there in 2021 before transferring to Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide with 39 receptions for 798 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns in 2023 — 20.5 yards per catch.
“Despite sliding a bit due to some off-field concerns, Burton has a three-level skill set with great explosiveness and impressive ball skills,” wrote PFF’s Trevor Sikkema in his post-draft grades. “He didn’t drop any of his 57 targets this past season and could be a solid complement to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins from Day 1 due to his downfield playmaking ability.”
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