Bengals Great Draws Comparisons Between Carson Palmer, Joe Burrow's Frustrations With Franchise

CINCINNATI — Andrew Whitworth got cut emotionally when Carson Palmer made his retirement stance with the Bengals nearly 15 years ago, and he doesn't want to see that same scenario play out with Joe Burrow.

The longtime Bengals offensive tackle (2006-2016) broke down the similarities (and differences) to Palmer's frustrations with the Bengals, and Burrow's "loving football" comments from this past season.

Palmer was ready to retire from the sport in 2011 if the Bengals didn't trade him, which they eventually did in a deal with the Raiders.

"He was like, 'Man, I don't want any more to do with this,'" Whitworth said about Palmer on his podcast, Fitz & Whit. "Now, let's give credit. This wasn't the Joe Burrow era in the sense of the money they've spent on offense. At that time, they were not doing that at all. And Carson Palmer was like, That's it. I'm tired of it, and I don't want to play here anymore. And I hate it, because even for me, I was a young player, young captain. I'd been a captain for a few years at that point, and I hated it, because it ended up affecting even me and Carson's relationship for years to come, and until we got a chance to kind of sit down."

Now, there is zero indication that Burrow wants to walk away from the Bengals in retirement or via trade anytime soon.

The guy had a bad day last season, and it carried over into a press conference happening amidst another major injury recovery and Burrow's second-ever losing NFL season. He's human, it happens, but Whitworth knows how situations can fester into the rest of the locker room.

"I thought Carson Palmer was the greatest leader I'd ever been around. He was one of the best dudes I'd ever been around. I had never been around somebody like him before," Whitworth continued. "And so that was like my big brother's leaving the house and saying, 'I don't want to be part of the family anymore.' And so I hated it, because it created a little bit of a rift between us.

"I've seen Joe Burrow in the offseason. He's been in my gym before. I've been around him, the way he works, as dedicated as he is to being good at what he does, like these guys look up to him. And so it's not just about how it affects Joe Burrow's life. This is going to affect a lot of guys around him and how they go about their business and the way they look up to him. And so that's what these things do."

Check out the full comments from Whitworth below as Cincinnati gets the chance to make football as fun as possible for Burrow with some big offseason additions:

Is Joe Burrow the next QB to leave the Cincinnati Bengals? Andrew Whitworth breaks down the similarities to his time with Carson Palmer. pic.twitter.com/TWYXP9reix
— Fitz & Whit (@fitzandwhit) February 17, 2026

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