Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow turned 29 on Wednesday, but he was not in a celebratory mood. He acknowledged that “there’s just a lot of things going on right now” during a subdued press conference that also included him sharing new perspective following his most recent injury. 

“It certainly doesn’t change my desire to win,” said Burrow, who is preparing for his third game after missing nine weeks with turf toe. “You know, if I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. You know, I’ve been through a lot, and if it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for? That’s the mindset I’m trying to bring to the table.” 

Burrow, on the heels of a tough road loss to the Buffalo Bills, was asked if it’s hard to have fun given his injury and the Bengals’ 4-9 record. 

“Certainly,” he said with Sunday’s home game with the Baltimore Ravens looming. 

When healthy, Burrow has been one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks since he entered the league in 2020. But health has largely eluded him to this point in his career. 

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A knee injury sidelined him for the second half of his rookie season. Burrow led the Bengals to the Super Bowl the following year, but he sustained an MCL sprain during Cincinnati’s Super Bowl loss to the Los Angeles Rams. 

After rehabbing that injury during the offseason, Burrow missed a significant portion of training camp after he had an emergency appendectomy for a ruptured appendix. A year later, Burrow missed a little over a month after injuring his calf during the first day of training camp. 

During the Bengals’ tenth game of the 2023 season, Burrow sustained a wrist injury that required season-ending surgery. He returned in 2024 and led the NFL with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns en route to winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year for a second time. 

“It’s certainly something you have to think about,” Burrow said when asked about risk-reward element of playing through injury. “That’s life as a professional athlete, no different than basketball and MMA, baseball. It’s what we chose. [We] make a lot of sacrifices, and your body is often one of them.” 

Given all of his injuries, it’s easy to see why Burrow has decided to put more of an emphasis on enjoying himself for as long as he continues playing. 

“It’s just a reflection on a lot of things that I’ve done and been through in my career,” he said. “I think I’ve been through more than most and certainly not easy on the brain or the body. So, just trying to have fun doing it.” 

Burrow is often compared to Andrew Luck, the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback and No. 1 pick who retired at 29 after injuries had diminished his desire to continue playing. And while Burrow’s comments will undoubtedly conjure up more Luck comparisons, he didn’t say anything on Wednesday that would suggest that he is planning to hang up his cleats anytime soon. 

Burrow, who is under contract through the 2029 season, is likely frustrated with his team’s current situation. Burrow underwent a grueling rehabilitation process in order to make it back from his toe injury sooner than most people expected. He was hoping that the Bengals would win enough games without him so they could go on a legitimate playoff run when he did return. 

That didn’t happen, however, as the Bengals (who were 2-0 at the time of his injury) won just one game during his absence. And while their playoff hopes are still technically alive, that isn’t giving Burrow much solace. 

“I don’t think anybody’s really thinking about the playoffs right now,” he said. “That’s within reach, but it’s on our fingertips, so we’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing and try to get better.”

While the majority of the presser was dark, Burrow cracked a smile when asked about the Pokémon box he received from his offensive linemen as a birthday gift. He was specifically asked what exactly is a Pokémon. 

“I’ll let you research that,” he said in a rare moment of fun.