Joe Burrow's Bengals are out of the playoff race for a third straight season, yet the familiar, disappointing result hasn't quenched Burrow's burning desire to continue playing football for the franchise.
Speculation has run wild in recent days after Burrow's recent comments about needing to have fun if he wanted to continue "doing this." On Wednesday, Burrow was asked if he could see a world in which he wasn't playing for the Bengals in 2026.
"I can't see that, no," he said.
Burrow was less emphatic when asked if he'd thought about ever playing elsewhere.
"You think about a lot of things," he said.
Burrow went on to explain that the NFL is an anything-than-can-happen landscape.
"A lot of crazy things happen every year," he said. "Micah Parsons got traded before the season this year. ... Crazy things can happen."
For now, Burrow is focused on playing the Bengals' final games of 2025, even if some believe he shouldn't be taking part in those contests considering his injury history and Cincinnati having been eliminated from postseason contention.
After all, he was forced to watch most of the 2025 regular season in street clothes before returning on Thanksgiving. Now that his team has little to play for in 2025, some are asking why Burrow -- a frequently injured franchise quarterback playing with a modified cleat to protect his surgically repaired toe -- is risking his health to play in Cincinnati's final three games.
Burrow is tired of hearing the concerns.
"I like playing football. For the same reasons that I wanted to push to come back from injury, the same reasons I wanted to play this week," he said Wednesday. "It feels like everything, everybody's trying to do everything in their power to make me not play football, and I feel like I'm fighting it, like fighting everybody else. I just want to play ball. That's all I want to do."
Burrow's vague references to faceless adversaries didn't come with subsequent clarification, leaving his response open to interpretation and opening a spiderweb of theories.
After consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game in 2021-2022 (including one triumph and Super Bowl appearance), Cincinnati will spend its third straight winter watching the postseason from home, prompting some to wonder whether coach Zac Taylor's days are numbered. One might guess Burrow is referring to Taylor or perhaps general manager Duke Tobin, but that train of thought would also lead directly into a tunnel of conspiracy.
The quarterback certainly isn't helping matters with his recent statements during interviews, speaking of his need to enjoy football in order to continue playing. The Bengals haven't had much fun over the last three seasons, fighting to stay in playoff races while battling immense adversity, which has often included Burrow's injury-related absences.
This stream-of-consciousness approach to media sessions has led some to wonder whether Burrow might be angling for an exit or applying pressure in order to force organizational change. Some have also questioned whether Burrow might channel his inner Barry Sanders and walk away in his prime because of his team's repeated struggles. That doesn't seem realistic, at least not now.
"You think about it, but you think about a lot of different things in your life, just like everybody does," Burrow said. "You think about all the different possibilities that could happen. I'm going to playing for a long time. I expect to play for a long time. I expect to play well and consistently great for a long time."
Burrow quelled the latter fear with his Wednesday response, but it's clear he's tired of arriving at the same disheartening December conclusion. He already received his wish when the Bengals managed to fit extensions for him, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins into their salary cap over the last two years; that's not enough to keep him content, though, not with the consistent failure to make the playoffs.
Burrow isn't without fault, either. His absence -- caused by a season-ending wrist injury that forced Jake Browning into the lineup -- contributed to their downfall in 2023, while a fully healthy 2024 season fell apart because Cincinnati's defense couldn't stop a nosebleed in key losses. On Sunday, Burrow's two-interception performance resulted in a 24-0 loss to the division-rival Ravens, vanquishing their last hope of reaching the postseason.
Judging by Burrow's comments, those in charge might like to limit further mistakes by protecting Burrow from further risk, even if the quarterback denied it when asked if anyone in the building was trying to prevent him from playing.
The remaining games won't matter much for the Bengals in 2025. The offseason, however, might be more important than ever.