Joe Burrow voices disappointment after NFL overlooks Bengals for international games - "Not ideal"

Joe Burrow has been one of the faces of the NFL, but the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback is unhappy with the league. The official schedule for all 32 teams was recently released, and Cincinnati once again will not play an international game.

This has been a source of frustration for Burrow. The Bengals did play an international game in 2016, when they faced the Washington Commanders in the league’s first international game that went to overtime. But they have not played away from the U.S. since.

There will be seven international games in 2025, and none involve Burrow’s team. He made his disappointment clear during a press conference on Tuesday:

"Maybe an international game next year," he said. "You know, part of the reason I wanted to do the quarterback show [is] I wanted to help grow the game internationally, so to not have a stage like that is a little disappointing.

"I feel like I've consciously worked hard to try to grow the game internationally over the last 18 months, so, hopefully at some point in my career, we can go over there."

The league will see a new record in 2025. The seven games involve countries such as Spain, Brazil, Ireland and Germany. In 2026, a game in Australia is also confirmed, with the Los Angeles Rams as the host team.

How did Joe Burrow play in the 2024 season?

The Cincinnati Bengals did not qualify for the playoffs last season, but it was not because of their quarterback. Although they finished the year with a 9-8 record, Burrow’s individual performance was among the best of all NFL quarterbacks.

He had 4,918 passing yards, 43 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 70.6% completion rate. He led the league with the best touchdown rate (6.6%) among quarterbacks, while also posting the second-lowest interception rate (1.4%) of his career.

His best wide receiver, Ja'Marr Chase, had 1,708 receiving yards, along with 17 touchdowns and 127 receptions. The team’s defensive problems were the issue, with coordinator Lou Anarumo fired after the season.