One of the popular theories around the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason is that Joe Burrow threw his weight around while demanding change.
Ask Burrow?
No chance.
Burrow spoke with reporters during voluntary workouts and shot down the notion that he had a major hand in the all-in offseason. In fact, he even noted that he was less involved than in years past.
“I would say if anything, I was less involved this year than in years past,” Burrow said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “There’s no secret that the last several years didn’t go the way we wanted to, and there’s a lot of blame to go around for that, myself included. And so, we’re in a great spot this year. We brought in great people and great players. You can feel the vibes of the locker room. The energy is elevated right now.”
Disclaimer required, of course: What else would Burrow say?
Burrow noted that he still sent messages and hopped on the phone with members of the organization as things progressed. But clearly, there wasn’t some major ultimatum before the Bengals spent major dollars in free agency and traded for Dexter Lawrence.
Not hard to see why, either: Burrow didn’t need to throw out ultimatums. The implication was hanging in the air in Cincinnati for all to see: It’s time to get this right. If not, who knows?
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Joe Burrow changes narrative about involvement in Bengals’ offseason