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Bengals cautioned against Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford scenario
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- Bengals cautioned against Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford scenario
NFL insiders continue to have their say about the future of Joe Burrow with the Cincinnati Bengals .
And the majority opinion matches that of most fans: Joe Burrow isn't leaving the Bengals .
Those Bengals, as an organization in modern NFL times, face a critical offseason and next few years, no doubt.
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But there's zero credible whispers of Burrow not wanting to be in town.
The latest comes from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer :
"My feeling is that Burrow badly wants to be a change agent for Cincinnati. His actions reflect that. He was defiant in the face of any "Same Old Bengals" narratives during the 2021 Super Bowl run. He advocated for new contracts for star teammates Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson. His presence has pushed the organization to modernize and expand its scouting operation."
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Granted, like most write-ups from insiders on this topic, there's also this: "But he won't be patient forever. Eventually, this could become Matthew Stafford in Detroit ."
Stafford spent more than a decade in Detroit. The Bengals can't wait that long to get things right.
But proof in Burrow's desire to spur further organizational change is right there. While the world bemoaned some of his recent press conferences as him signaling he wants out, we wrote that he was sending some pretty clear messages to the front office .
Burrow saying things like the Bengals need to "get creative about where we go from here" sure feels like a nod to getting outside voices in the organization. Doing that along the coaching staff and especially in Duke Tobin's scouting department could help prevent disasters like this year, when the defense was on pace to be the worst of all time at one point.
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The Bengals need to heed Burrow's warnings if they want to win. It can't be the 2000s Bengals, where their way is the only way. Burrow is an elite player, but he shouldn't need to play perfect at all times for his team to have a chance. That's unrealistic and isn't happening anywhere else, nor has it ever.
As such, Burrow doesn't want out. But one could argue that the upcoming offseason is the most important one in franchise history, too.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals cautioned against Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford scenario
