Joe Burrow won’t pull an Eli Manning if selected by Bengals

The coverage over the Bengals drafting LSU quarterback Joe Burrow first overall hasn’t exactly been what many NFL fans would hope their team would be receiving.

Whether it has been the idea that Cincinnati is stupid enough to mess up the pick, they’d be willing to trade the pick or even that the Bengals would ruin Burrow like they were the Browns.

That last one also branches off into the idea of whether Burrow should pull a maneuver made famous by Eli Manning and John Elway and refuse to play for Cincinnati if the team drafted him.

This line of thinking has apparently struck a cord with Burrow and his family, according to Jeremy Rauch of FOX 19 News.

This isn’t surprising coming from a player like Burrow. If you have watched or heard any interview about football journey so far, it is that he isn’t scared by a challenge. Many look at his transfer from Ohio State to LSU as reason to believe something like this, but it was clear that was never an easy decision for him. It was more him realizing if he would ever have a shot at playing he would have to leave his home state of Ohio to do it.

The fact he chose a school like LSU in the first place also shows he isn’t afraid to help shape a program into something new. The school was never known for their high octane quarterback play, but Burrow believed he could help be the catalyst to change that, and with the best season by a college quarterback behind him, it is safe to say he accomplished that.

The other reason why people may jump to this conclusion is because the Bengals are currently in a messy spot. They have four straight losing seasons. Their core group of players that spring boarded five straight playoff appearances is rapidly approaching the end of their prime, and Zac Taylor is still a relative unknown at head coach after only one season. Cincinnati isn’t exactly the model of consistency at the moment, but rarely is the team picking first overall a desirable destination.

Cincinnati has also been making baby steps in bringing in a few outside free agents over the past few seasons. A practice that was widely unheard of by the franchise prior to recently. They also finished out the 2019 season on a much higher note than they started, which shows this team could be trending up if they have another solid offseason.

These narratives being spun are all pretty lazy takes that many people are spinning to either fill time because the choice is so obvious or because they are use to the worst possible outcome. The Bengals selecting Burrow is a slam dunk that both sides will likely see as obvious in the coming months. Panic buttons shouldn’t be pressed, especially with Burrow and his family willing to do their part to put out any potential fires.