Joe Burrow: "I can’t put you with Mahomes, Lamar and Allen”: Ex-Packers champ puts Joe Burrow in hot seat amid top QB debate

The pressure is on for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals after back-to-back 9-8 campaigns, missing the NFL playoffs in each of the past two seasons. Cincinnati opened its wallet to retain its star receiver duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for the long term.

Both Higgins and Chase signed respective four-year deals with the Bengals, but remain in a contractual stand-off with star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson. Coming off what's been an underwhelming offseason for the front office, Super Bowl XLV champion James Jones called out Cincinnati's quarterback ahead of a crucial 2025 season.

On Thursday, the former Green Bay Packers wideout directed some blame toward Burrow after the team missed the playoffs in 2023 and 2024.

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"No All-Pros, no MVPs, and you've missed the playoffs two years in a row? That doesn't mean (Joe Burrow) is not a good football player at all, but I cannot come up here confidently and say 'Joe Burrow is still a top-four quarterback.' I can't put you with (Patrick Mahomes), (Lamar Jackson) and (Josh Allen)."

Despite fielding one of the worst defensive units in the NFL, Burrow posted one of his best single-season performances to draft Cincinnati to the playoffs. In his second Pro Bowl campaign, Burrow led the league in passing yards and touchdowns, completing 70.6% of his attempts for 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns, all of which are career-high marks.

Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase turning heads at OTAs

As they gear up for a playoff push in 2025, Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are picking up where they left off last season. Through three days of OTA workouts, the Burrow-Chase connection is grabbing the attention of fans, as it does each season.

On Tuesday, Bengals insider Jeremy Rauch shared a clip of Burrow connecting with Chase downfield on a route near the sideline, which caught the attention of onlookers.

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Chase is already in regular-season form coming off one of the greatest single-season performances by a wideout in NFL history. In 2024, he became the latest NFL receiver to win the receiver triple crown, leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

In 17 games, Ja'Marr Chase caught 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, earning the first first-team All-Pro nod of his career.

About the author

Ethen Hutton is an analyst who works for Sportskeeda, covering College Football, the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA. Ethen graduated high school with academic and athletic honors and is a member of the National High School Honors Society. After a gap year, Ethen jumped into sports writing and has over two years of experience in the field.

Ethen was raised in Ohio and is a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. His favorite all-time player is Pete Maravich as his shooting and ball-handling abilities were way ahead of his time. His favorite player in today’s NBA is Nikola Jokic due to his fascinating skillset as a big man.

Ethen loves the storylines around the NBA and the chaos that the offseason and trade deadlines bring. He enjoys technical deep dives with strong statistical analysis as well as stories where he's able to take a stance as an analyst. He is very prideful in the correctness of his work and will do extensive research to ensure all facts and evidence are 100% accurate.

When not working, Ethen enjoys recording his sports podcast, Wide Right. He is also a very invested fantasy football player.

Know More

Bengals Nation! Check out the latest Cincinnati Bengals Schedule and dive into the Bengals Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Alvin Amansec