Joe Burrow's Latest Comments Should End the Andrew Luck Narrative

Bengals OTAs are in full swing. Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and a remade Bengals' defense worked out together as a team this week, which included 7-on-7 and other on-field work.

Burrow recapped the first week of OTAs by posting multiple photos on Instagram.

"My happy place," Burrow wrote with five images from the Bengals' offseason program.

No Luck

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) jogs during spring practice on at the Kettering Practice Fields on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Burrow has suffered multiple injuries throughout his career, including a torn ACL, a season-ending wrist injury that required surgery and a grade 3 toe sprain last season. Despite that, his message has always been clear: He wants to play football.

“I’m going to be playing for a long time," Burrow said in December. "I expect to play for a long time and I expect to play well and consistently great for a long time.”

Couple that with what his teammates have said and it's clear that Burrow is all-in on the game—not that his desire to play football should've been questioned in the first place.

What Teammates Are Saying

Orlando Brown Jr. joins James Rapien and Jacob Tissot on First Word, Cincinnati's Morning Sports Show | First Word, Sam Chavez

Orlando Brown Jr. weighed in on that narrative this week on First Word.

"I've touched on this in the past, man, like, football is America's sport because it's somewhat relatable in a lot of different ways," Brown said. "And so, I know you guys are on the media side, but a lot of narratives, they are centered around certain things for attention. And Joe loves the game of football, and he's gonna go out here, and he's gonna ball out. I think I would compare it to those early Ja'Marr Chase haters saying he wasn't gonna be good because the preseason drops. It's like, it's part of the sport, man."

Brown isn't the only Bengals star to shut down the Burrow-Luck comparison. Chase did last season when the star quarterback returned from his toe injury.

“I see him the same every day. To me, he loves football,” Chase said in December. “From what I see, I see the same person every day. He comes to work. He loves work. He don't look like he's bummed to be here. He's the same every day.”

Burrow has voiced his excitement for Cincinnati's offseason additions, which including Dexter Lawrence, Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen. The defense should be much improved and there's no reason why this team shouldn't contend this season.

Orlando Brown Jr. was one of the many interviews we did during launch week on First Word, Cincinnati's Morning Sports Show! Check out the entire interview below and subscribe to the channel here.

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