At the onset of another NFL season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow shut down all theories about his eventually leaving town if things don’t go right.
Burrow didn’t have to speak out. He didn't have to shut down the silly narratives about his leaving Cincinnati perpetuated by attention-seekers, especially during quiet times of the NFL calendar.
But he did. And beyond the really obvious, there’s a fun read-between-the-lines thing going on from Burrow, too.
Burrow sat down for an extensive interview with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com before the season. By far the most notable thing was his talk of the future.
"I'm efficient with my words, and when I'm efficient with my words, that leaves some room for interpretation," Burrow said. "But I mean
what I say. I'm here for the long haul. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just trying to bring a now-or-never mentality to the day-by-day process. If you're not, what are you doing? Attack the day with a championship mindset. The rest will take care of itself."
The big thing: “I'm here for the long haul. I'm not going anywhere.”
The little thing to take from it all: Burrow has the vibe that this new modern-feeling organization isn’t a one-off thing.
Burrow is pretty methodical about what he says and when he says it. The fact now is the time for him to drop this quote feels significant. If he felt the Bengals were making a last-ditch effort before going back to their old conservative ways, this statement probably wouldn’t go public.
And really, Burrow is the kid from Athens. Most around the team, including fans, already understood that he wasn’t going to tuck tail and leave. This statement was more for the national side of things (Bengals fans having this in the back pocket as ammo doesn’t hurt, either).
But it feels like an affirmation that this is the new normal around the Bengals, too. The sweeping modern changes in recent years, including new approaches to contract structures, bold trades, expanding scouting departments, admitting mistakes, opening revenue streams with partnerships, seeking international branding and special annual primetime games, opening checkbooks and just generally behaving like a modern franchise that actually wants to win…it’s not changing back.
What it is, really, is Burrow dragging the Bengals into modern times. A little kicking and screaming along the way? Probably. But who’s complaining?
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: There’s a hidden message in Joe Burrow’s jaw-dropping statement
