Bengals Star Quarterback Joe Burrow Sums Up His 2025 With One Word

The Bengals posted their worst record (6-11) since the 2020 season.

Jan 4, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks to the locker room following a loss against the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow didn't have the season that he wanted to have. Cincinnati finished 6-11, their worst record since his rookie campaign and he missed nine games due to a grade 3 turf toe injury that required surgery.

Burrow put a bow on 2025 with an Instagram post. It included multiple photos of him, including one from Sunday's season finale against the Browns and another one from Halloween where he dressed like the Joker.

The post came with a simple, yet fitting caption for the year: "2025 was.... Adversity."

Burrow returned to the field much sooner than expected after undergoing surgery in September. He was cleared to play in November and made his return on Thanksgiving, leading the Bengals to a 32-14 win over the Ravens.

"I’m really proud of what I did this year. I came back from an injury faster than any human ever has," Burrow said. "I’m really proud of that. I played some really good football when back. I had one bad game, and you certainly don’t want those, but I won’t lose my mind over that. I played some really high-level football."

Burrow and the Bengals went 5-3 in games he started. He completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions.

He acknowledges the injury impacted him mentally and physically. He returned to the field roughly a month sooner than anyone thought he would.

"If you want to play this game for a long time, you have to enjoy what you do and who you do it with. Injuries take a toll on that," Burrow said. "I think in life, I don’t want to let losing and where our team is at affect all the other areas. I’m certainly not happy with where we’re at, but I’m not going to let it affect who I am, what I do, and how I think about things."

Check out Burrow's Instagram post below. Watch his season-ending press conference here.

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