Joe Burrow’s NFL season opener left Cincinnati Bengals fans concerned after they spotted a series of troublesome signs Sunday.
The former No. 1 overall pick suffered an injury to his right (throwing) wrist during a Week 11 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in mid-November last season and underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament.
The quarterback returned to the starting role during the Bengals’ season opener against the New England Patriots after head coach Zac Taylor had said in March that Burrow was ‘right on schedule’ with his rehab.
However, fans were left panicked after Week 1 as footage from the Bengals’ loss to the Patriots raised concerns about Burrow’s health.
Throughout the season opener, Burrow was caught rotating his wrist on the field and grabbing it while on the bench.
Footage from Joe Burrow’s NFL season opener left Cincinnati Bengals fans concerned
He was later spotted struggling to pick up a water bottle off the ground, gingerly lifting it with his fingers.
‘Joe Burrow might be cooked or that’s the heaviest Gatorade bottle of all time,’ one social media user posted alongside the clip on X, formerly known as Twitter, before another replied, ‘This could be the end wow.’
‘I heard that wrist might not every fully regain function at an elite level. Sucks to see him get an injury like this, this early in his career,’ a third said.
‘He’s def showing discomfort I wonder if he’ll ever be able to return to peak form,’ another echoed. ‘When he’s in top form there’s no doubt in my mind he can get to the SB but the injuries scare me.’
‘That wrist at about 70% max it will ever get to again will probably be about 80% but never gon throw the ball like he did before,’ one user posted.
The Bengals lost 16-10 to New England Sunday with Burrow 21 of 29 for 164 yards to eight different receivers.
He revealed that he had picked up a new hobby during his rehabilitation, sharing in July that he has been learning the piano to help with his injured wrist and avoid repeating the injury.
‘Hopefully I can get pretty good at that by next season,’ Burrow, 27, told Complex Sports.
Fans were left panicked as footage from the loss raised concerns about Burrow’s health
‘I guess it’ll be pretty tough during the season, but it’s helped my rehab too for my wrist, so that’s something I want to get good at.’
In his last four NFL seasons, Burrow has completed 68 percent of his passes for 14,083 yards and 97 touchdowns in 52 games.
He led Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2021 season, when he led the league with a 70.4 percent completion rate.
In September 2023, Burrow signed a five-year contract extension worth $275 million. He is the highest-paid player in NFL history on an annual basis, making $55 million per year.
