Barring one of the biggest NFL draft stunners in modern history, Joe Burrow is about to be taken No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals — a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 1990 season.
There’s been some talk about how Burrow may not want to be drafted by the Bengals. And a recent quote seemed to lend credence to that idea.
“I just want to get drafted to a good team, good organization that is going to maximize my talents,” Burrow said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I’ve won everywhere that I’ve been. I’ve never had a losing season in sports from the moment I was 5 years old. I’m not a loser. I just want to go somewhere where I can win.”
Many reading this quote might assume this means Burrow wishes the Bengals would take someone else. However, in that same quote, Burrow also made it clear that he has confidence in his ability to turn a losing franchise into a winner.
“Teams are picking at the top for a reason. And I feel like, like I said before, I’ve won everywhere that I’ve ever been. I feel like if anybody can do it, I can do it.”
Every player that comes into the NFL wants to play for a winning team. So it’s not surprising that Burrow is openly stating his desire to “go somewhere where I can win.”
It’s certainly debatable whether Cincinnati is “a good team, good organization” that can maximize Burrow’s talents. The franchise has been mired in mediocrity (or worse) for going on three decades, after all. But if head coach Zac Taylor can get his team to buy in, and if Burrow can come into the NFL with the same type of game he showed off last year at LSU, then the Bengals might just have what it takes to break out of this funk.