Carson Palmer Not Confident Bengals Will Protect Joe Burrow, Urges Him To Consider Future

While we're sitting here trying to figure out how many Super Bowl appearances the Bengals will have with Joe Burrow at quarterback, one former Cincinnati gunslinger is saying pump the brakes.

Carson Palmer, who like Burrow was drafted first overall by the Bengals (2003), isn't so confident Burrow will re-sign with the team when it's time for an extension.

“I think Joe’s going to sit back after this game, win or lose, and be like, ‘Man, am I going to re-sign with this team?'” Palmer said on NBC’s Brother From Another podcast on Radio Row, via the New York Post. “‘Are they willing to do what it takes to continuously build to get back to the next Super Bowl? Next year and the year after that and the year after that? How are they willing to structure salary cap-wise to be able to afford me — but to also be able to afford Ja’Marr Chase when he comes up or Tee Higgins or maybe even re-do this offensive line?’”

That was before the game -- before Burrow took another beating behind his porous offensive line.

Burrow and the Bengals fell to the Rams, 23-20, in Super Bowl LVI Sunday at SoFi Stadium. He was sacked seven times, tying a Super Bowl record and was brought down 19 times in four playoff games. Including the regular season, Burrow was sacked a whopping 70 times in 20 games.

He evaded another serious knee injury in the Super Bowl, when he was sacked by Von Miller with 11:55 remaining in the fourth quarter and was writhing in pain.

Palmer's time in Cincinnati is perhaps more known for its ending, rather than the two Pro Bowl nominations and 46-51 record he accumulated. Unhappy with the team and president/owner Mike Brown, Palmer requested a trade after the 2010 season.

Brown ignored the request and Palmer threatened to call it a career. The team then drafted Andy Dalton, and after the 2011 second-round pick guided Cincinnati to a 6-2 start that season, Palmer was finally dealt to the Raiders.

Based on his experiences, Palmer said he doubts much will change despite the team's success this past season.

“Not a lot,” Palmer said. “I look at history and history says they’re happy with where they’re at and they’re going to sit pat.”


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Nick Geddes is a 2021 graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. A life-long sports enthusiast, Nick shares a passion for sports writing and is proud to represent OutKick.