Photo via Yahoo Sports

Ex-NFL QB on Joe Burrow's Bengals future: 'I think he wants to leave'

Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow enters the 2026 NFL campaign with speculation surrounding his long-term stay with the Bengals, underscored by an ex-quarterback suggesting he may seek an exit. Looking ahead to the Week 1 showdown, the Bengals take on Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose defensive unit has stirred the pot.

Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum vocalized strong remarks and predicted defensive takeaways against Burrow, supplying bulletin-board motivation for Cincinnati ahead of kickoff.

Cincinnati aims to rebound after playoff absences in 2023 and 2024 were followed by a campaign derailed by Burrow's turf toe injury. Encouragingly for the passer, wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins received favorable injury evaluations in time for Sunday's contest against Todd Bowles' blitz-heavy Tampa Bay defense.