Before he won the Heisman Trophy and national championship in his final college season at LSU, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow wasn't on the radar as a No. 1 overall pick and an eventual NFL superstar.
Burrow rode the bench for years at Ohio State and never got his opportunity to start. After transferring, he had a rather middling first go-round as a starter in Baton Rouge. That, of course, preceded arguably the greatest season by a QB in college football history. Did I stutter? A 76.3% completion rate, 60 TDs to six INTs, and 5,671 passing yards puts Burrow in that rarefied air.
No disrespect to Cam Newton's national title run at Auburn, or Johnny Manziel's phenomenal two-year showcase at Texas A&M, but Burrow was the catalyst of an absolute juggernaut at LSU.
That Tigers team was loaded with future NFL studs. In addressing the media on Wednesday, Burrow likened this 2026 Bengals roster to that legendary group.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow compares this year's team to stacked 2019 LSU squad
Burrow's go-to receiver in that electrifying 2019 campaign was his future Bengals teammate, Ja'Marr Chase, but he also threw to Justin Jefferson. That's the tip of the iceberg in terms of how loaded those Tigers were.
These current "tigers" (read: Bengals) in Cincinnati are giving Burrow the same vibes, as he told reporters at the conclusion of mandatory minicamp:
Joe Burrow on his level of excitement for this season:
— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) June 17, 2026
"You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU, I feel very similarly about this team."
"I'm so excited to get started and get moving. I wish we would ramp this right into training camp." 🔥 pic.twitter.com/azPZ08exvE
You can hear the excitement and anticipation in Burrow's voice. It's evident in his body language, too. He's practically squirming out of his seat at the podium, eager as ever to show the world what he and the Bengals can do this season.
When has Burrow ever come across like this? Never. When has he ever likened a Bengals roster to a team as stacked as the one he saw at LSU? Never.
Burrow isn't the type to serve up false hope, faux confidence, or baseless optimism. He knows what a championship team looks like. That's not only the case from his college experience, but Joe Shiesty has led multiple deep playoff runs in his young NFL career as well.
Think about it. The teams Burrow led to Super Bowl LVI and the next AFC Championship Game weren't anywhere near as talented on paper as these 2026 Bengals are.
For one, Burrow's offensive line this year is the same one that clicked down the stretch of last season to be easily his best unit in the NFL. There's no reason to believe they'll regress.
Combine that with a defense led by the likes of Dexter Lawrence, Bryan Cook, DJ Turner, and plenty of other big names, and it's easy to see why Burrow is buying into the Cincinnati offseason hype.
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