All systems go: Joe Burrow's dad says his son is excited to play for Bengals
Already you can hear some speculation about whether the Cincinnati Bengals might entertain phone calls about the first pick of the draft.
The price for that pick might be incalculable.
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While we never know how any prospect will work out, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is a seemingly perfect fit for the Bengals. Cincinnati needs a quarterback. The Bengals haven’t made a major investment at quarterback in a long time. Burrow is coming off arguably the greatest season a college quarterback has ever had. He’s from Ohio.
And Burrow’s father said his son wants to be a Bengal. That pick isn’t going anywhere.
Joe Burrow excited for ‘challenge’
In an interview with TSN 690 in Montreal, Jimmy Burrow was asked about the Bengals and the first pick (via the Cincinnati Enquirer):
Q: With Cincinnati having the first pick, have you and Joe discussed the possibility of going to a team that's kinda facing an uphill battle when it comes to rebuilding that roster?
A: Yes, we've talked about it. I can be in my seat in 3.5 hours from Athens — you know, that's certainly a positive. You're always — if you're the top pick or one of the top picks — that's the way the NFL draft is set up. You're not gonna get picked by a team that has a great record. So, you know, he's excited to even be in that conversation. If the Bengals do draft him, he's gonna be happy. And, you know ... you've probably seen some of his interviews. He's very confident. And he'll look at it as a challenge. But he'll be confident that eventually they can win a lot of games there at Cincinnati. But, you know, the Ohio people are ecstatic about this opportunity, maybe, that that could happen. But there's a long way between now and the draft. That's for sure.
Jimmy Burrow isn’t Joe Burrow and maybe the son has different ideas, and there’s plenty of time between now and the draft for opinions to be formed on his NFL future. But it sounds like Burrow is ready to be a Bengal, and that should be exciting for a franchise that needs something to rally around.
Bengals can land a potential franchise QB
If Burrow was planning to pull a John Elway or Eli Manning and say he wouldn’t play for the Bengals, maybe that would change Cincinnati’s mind. But there’s no reason to complicate it. Burrow is an elite prospect, from Ohio, fills a need and wants to play for the Bengals. No amount of first-round picks acquired in a trade would make up for the rage of the fan base if Cincinnati did anything but draft Burrow.
Assuming no major changes over the next three months, the Bengals will take Burrow and start a new era. While Andy Dalton had a nice career, a true star at quarterback can change the outlook of a franchise. Maybe Burrow won’t be a star, but he’ll allow the Bengals and their fans to dream big.
This seems like a great match between team and player. Even the Bengals can’t screw this up.
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