Joe Burrow Bio
Joseph Lee Burrow is an American professional football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. Selected first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow has emerged as one of the league’s premier passers after a record-setting college career at Louisiana State University, where he won the 2019 Heisman Trophy and the College Football Playoff National Championship. Across his professional career, he has earned multiple Pro Bowl selections, two NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards, and league-leading passing statistics.
Burrow first gained national attention by leading the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990 and an appearance in Super Bowl LVI following the 2021 season. He later signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension in 2023, at the time the richest annual deal in NFL history. Teammates and opponents have noted his poise, football intelligence, and accuracy, earning him nicknames such as “Joe Cool” and “Joe Brrr.”
Early Life and Background
Joseph Lee Burrow was born on December 10, 1996, in Ames, Iowa, where his father Jim Burrow was serving on the coaching staff at Iowa State University. He is the son of Jim Burrow, a former football player and coach whose career spanned over four decades, and Robin Burrow. The Burrow family has a deep athletic lineage that includes his paternal grandmother’s Mississippi high school basketball record, his grandfather’s play at Mississippi State, his uncle John Burrow’s football career at Ole Miss, and two older brothers who played at Nebraska.
Burrow attended the 2002 Rose Bowl at age five while his father was an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska, and shortly afterward began playing youth football. Unlike the rest of his family, who played defense, he became a quarterback because his first youth team needed one at the position. The family later moved to North Dakota and then to Athens, Ohio, where Jim accepted a defensive coordinator role at Ohio University. Burrow attended Athens High School from 2011 to 2014, leading the program to three straight playoff appearances, the school’s first seven playoff victories, and a 14-1 record as a senior. He passed for 11,416 yards with 157 touchdowns and earned Ohio’s Mr. Football and Gatorade Player of the Year awards while also starring in basketball.
Path to American Football
Rated as a four-star recruit and the eighth-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2015 class by the 247Sports Composite, Burrow committed to Ohio State on May 27, 2014. He redshirted his first year with the Buckeyes and spent the next two seasons as a backup to J.T. Barrett, appearing in 10 games and completing 29 of 39 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. During Ohio State’s 2018 spring game, Burrow completed 15 of 22 attempts for 238 yards and two touchdowns, signaling his push for a starting role.
After recognizing that Dwayne Haskins would be named the starter, Burrow transferred to Louisiana State University on May 18, 2018, graduating from Ohio State in three years with a degree in consumer and family financial services. He immediately became LSU’s starting quarterback as a redshirt junior, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors after leading an early-season win at Auburn and finishing the year with 2,894 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and seven rushing scores. That foundation set the stage for his historic senior season.
Joe Burrow Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Burrow’s senior season at LSU in 2019 became one of the most celebrated in college football history. He led the Tigers to a 15-0 record, an SEC Championship, and a College Football Playoff National Championship over Clemson, throwing for 463 yards and six total touchdowns in the title game. Burrow set single-season FBS records with 60 passing touchdowns and 65 total touchdowns, while his 5,671 passing yards ranked among the top five in FBS history. He received the Heisman Trophy by the largest margin in the award’s history and was named a Unanimous All-American.
Selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow signed a four-year rookie contract worth $36.1 million and became the only rookie quarterback from his class to start on opening day. He set several rookie records, including the most completions in a single game, before suffering a torn ACL, MCL, and additional knee damage in Week 11 against Washington. He finished the year with 2,688 passing yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games.
Cincinnati Bengals Breakthrough (2021–2022)
Burrow returned healthy in 2021 and authored one of the league’s great comeback seasons, throwing for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns while leading the league in completion percentage. He set a franchise record with 525 passing yards against Baltimore in Week 16 and helped Cincinnati clinch its first AFC North title since 2015. In the playoffs, Burrow led the Bengals to wins over the Raiders, Titans, and Chiefs, ending a 31-year playoff win drought and reaching Super Bowl LVI, where Cincinnati fell 23-20 to the Los Angeles Rams. He earned the AP Comeback Player of the Year award.
In 2022, Burrow posted 4,475 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, leading Cincinnati to a 12-4 record and its first consecutive AFC North titles in franchise history. He recorded his fifth career 400-yard passing game against Atlanta, an NFL record for the most such games within a player’s first three seasons. The Bengals again reached the AFC Championship Game before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs, and Burrow was named to his first Pro Bowl.
Cincinnati Bengals Era (2023–2025)
Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension on September 7, 2023, becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history on an annual basis at $55 million. After a strong start highlighted by an 87.5% completion rate against San Francisco in Week 8, he suffered a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist in Week 11 and missed the remainder of the season. He underwent surgery and supported backup Jake Browning from the sideline as Cincinnati finished the year without him.
Fully recovered for 2024, Burrow produced a career-best season with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, leading the NFL in both categories. He became the third quarterback in league history, alongside Tom Brady in 2007 and Aaron Rodgers in 2011, to reach 4,500 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions in a single season. Despite the Bengals missing the playoffs, he earned his second Comeback Player of the Year award and another Pro Bowl selection. In 2025, Burrow returned from a turf toe injury suffered in Week 2 to throw for 1,809 yards and 17 touchdowns in eight games, earning a third Pro Bowl nod.
Driving Style and Strengths
Burrow is widely recognized for his football intelligence, accuracy, and poise under pressure. Coaches and analysts have cited his ability to process defenses quickly, change receiver routes at the line of scrimmage, and manage the pocket through subtle footwork. His partnership with former LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady and his growing autonomy calling plays at the NFL level have been credited with maximizing his precision and improvisational skills.
Notable Events and Milestones
Burrow’s career-defining moments include his 525-yard performance against Baltimore in 2021, his seven-touchdown first half against Oklahoma in the 2019 Peach Bowl, and his back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances with Cincinnati. He joined Chad Pennington as the only two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year and set an NFL record with eight consecutive games of at least 250 passing yards and three touchdowns in 2024.
Joe Burrow Career Wins
Across his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals, Burrow has amassed multiple signature victories, including three 2021 playoff wins that ended Cincinnati’s 31-year postseason drought, a division-clinching victory over Kansas City in 2021, and a five-game winning streak to close the 2024 season. His comeback wins against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 and the Denver Broncos in 2024 stand out for their late-game execution and prolific passing totals.
Cincinnati Bengals Highlights
Burrow’s most memorable Bengals victories include the 41-21 rout of Baltimore in Week 16 of 2021, the 34-31 win at Kansas City that clinched the AFC North, the overtime victory over the Chiefs in the 2021 AFC Championship, and the 34-23 comeback win over Tampa Bay in 2022. He has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors multiple times and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for both November and December 2024.
Other Wins & Performances
Burrow led LSU to the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship with a 42-25 victory over Clemson and was named the game’s offensive MVP. He earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors on multiple occasions during his college career and was named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week following the 2019 regular season wins over Texas and Alabama.
Joe Burrow Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Burrow comes from one of football’s most storied families. His father Jim Burrow enjoyed a coaching career spanning more than 40 years, while his uncle John Burrow played at Ole Miss and two older brothers played at Nebraska. His paternal grandfather played basketball at Mississippi State, and his paternal grandmother once set a Mississippi state high school record by scoring 82 points in a basketball game during the 1940s.
Personal Life
Burrow spent one summer interning at Goldman Sachs during college and has stated that he planned to live off endorsement income while saving his NFL contract money. He is an avid chess player who keeps a board in his locker and is known for playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during team flights. Burrow is a noted fan of Kid Cudi, who later included a bonus track named after him on the Entergalactic album. In 2024, he purchased a $2.9 million replica Batmobile from The Dark Knight trilogy for his personal car collection.
2025 Season Performance
Burrow opened the 2025 season with a touchdown pass to tight end Noah Fant in the opener against Cleveland before exiting Cincinnati’s Week 2 game against Jacksonville with a turf toe injury and significant ligament damage. He underwent surgery and was placed on injured reserve on September 16, with an estimated minimum recovery time of three months. The Bengals relied on backup quarterback Jake Browning during his absence.
Burrow returned to action on November 26 and immediately led Cincinnati to a 32-14 Thanksgiving victory over Baltimore, throwing two touchdown passes. He recorded four touchdowns and 309 yards against Miami in Week 16, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and finished the year with 1,809 passing yards and 17 touchdowns across eight games.
Burrow earned his third career Pro Bowl selection for the 2025 season, capping a year defined by injury, perseverance, and a strong second half. His continued presence under center remains central to the Bengals’ outlook heading into the next campaign.
