Mike Florio floats early Joe Burrow retirement over injury crisis and Bengals' failure to "make financial commitment" for roster overhaul

The Cincinnati Bengals will be without Joe Burrow for at least three months after the Pro Bowl quarterback suffered a turf toe injury on Sunday during a 31-27 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Burrow suffered the injury after being sacked by defensive lineman Arik Armstead, something he should have been protected from by the Bengals' offensive line.

This is the third time in six seasons that Burrow will be missing multiple months in a season due to injury as he suffered a torn ACL in 2020, followed by a season-ending wrist injury in 2023.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio compared Burrow's injury-laden stint with the Bengals to former quarterback Andrew Luck, who is the general manager of the Stanford Cardinal.

Luck was one of the best quarterbacks in the league, earning his fourth All-Pro nod after the 2018 season. However, the Indianapolis Colts star pulled the plug on his career in 2019 at just 29 years of age due to recurring injuries and rehab cycles.

Florio cited Luck's decision, floating an early retirement for Burrow if the Bengals continued to ignore investing in the offensive line to protect one of the best in-the-pocket movers in the league. He also pondered a potential move away from Cincinnati to a team that would protect him more:

"While it’s unthinkable to think Burrow will retire early, it was unthinkable to think Luck would do it — until he did. It’s also possible that Burrow will realize the Bengals will never make the financial commitment necessary to put the right pieces around him, and that before calling it quits he’ll decide to try to play for a team that can, and will, spend the cash necessary to get the most out of his skills, abilities, and physical sacrifices."

Jake Browning will be Cincinnati's QB1 after Joe Burrow's toe injury

With Joe Burrow expected to return sometime in late December, the Bengals have added quarterbacks Sean Clifford and Mike White to the practice squad on Tuesday.

Clifford and White's addition means the Bengals have four healthy quarterbacks with Jake Browning taking up the starting role and Brett Rypien being his backup on the depth chart.

While Browning led the Bengals' charge in the come-from-behind win against the Jaguars after Burrow's exit, he would have to step up his game in Cincinnati's upcoming games.