Joe Burrow Should Say No To The Bengals

Is Joe Burrow good enough to overcome dysfunction? That’s one of the biggest questions heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. Is Joe Burrow good enough to overcome the Bengals? I believe the answer to that question is no. Cincinnati looks poised to become the first overall pick in the draft. The question is whether Burrow wants to actually play for the Bengals?

He had some odd comments recently:

“I do have leverage,” the former LSU quarterback said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, during a reception in Fort Worth in which he accepted the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the nation’s top college quarterback. “[The Bengals] have their process and I have my process. We haven’t even gotten to the [NFL] combine yet. There’s a lot of things that happen leading up to the draft and a lot of information gathered.”

I see the word leverage and process. That’s not a guy who is 100 percent committed to the Bengals, nor should he be. If Burrow is smart, he should say no to the Bengals.

You should always learn lessons from the past. Recently, I watched the Ottoman Empire series on Netflix. Mehmed II says a line about keeping secrets that’s something along the lines of “if there was a hair on my beard that knew what I was doing, I would pluck it”. I’m going to steal that one. I love history. You should use history as lessons for the present.

Recently, Carson Palmer told the truth about the Bengals. That’s not a team you want to play for.

The Bengals are arguably the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL. Their owner controls personnel, they are diametrically opposed to trades, they have a limited scouting department, they’re more concerned about making a profit, and hate change.

What have the Bengals done to earn trust? Going to the wrong franchise can ruin your career. Just ask Matthew Stafford. This is a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990. Somehow, the Marvin Lewis tenure looks good compared to what’s going on now.

Let’s think of this. What are the reasons Burrow should say yes to the Bengals? Because they have the first pick and he’s from Ohio? Okay, what else? There is no other reason. Cincinnati doesn’t bring anything to the table.