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Ben Baby
CINCINNATI — It took a little convincing, but Joe Burrow has officially made his big television debut.
The Cincinnati Bengals star is one of three quarterbacks featured in the second season of the Netflix show “Quarterback,” which debuted Tuesday. Burrow, the Detroit Lions‘ Jared Goff and Atlanta Falcons‘ Kirk Cousins were followed and captured by cameras for a seven-episode season that took a behind-the-scenes look at their 2024 seasons.
Initially, Burrow did not seem interested in partaking in the series, spearheaded by Peyton Manning, who served as an executive producer. But with the Hall of Famer and founder of Omaha Productions overseeing the show, Burrow agreed.
“I wouldn’t probably wouldn’t have done it if he wasn’t involved, but I have a lot of trust and faith in him to not do anything that would hurt me or the team,” Burrow said in a news conference May 20.
That is the expectation for most projects, especially in sports, in which incredible access is granted. Typically, the conflict that makes for compelling television is exchanged for intimacy with someone famous. Burrow himself also reviewed the episodes to deliver approval over the content.
Even though “Quarterback” presents a clean and polished look at Burrow, a few things can be learned about him by watching the show. Here are the three biggest things that jumped out.
1. Burrow is consistently intense
When Brian Callahan was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator for five years, including Burrow’s first four seasons, he noted an attribute that was highlighted in “Quarterback.” Much like Manning, whom Callahan coached in Denver, Burrow exudes a high level of excellence on a daily basis. And there is little tolerance for falling short of that bar.
Many scenes and footage were initially captured and aired during the in-season edition of “Hard Knocks” that followed the four AFC North teams last fall. That includes the heated exchange between Burrow and coach Zac Taylor after the Week 15 win against the Tennessee Titans.
While “Hard Knocks” played a snippet of that conversation, “Quarterback” played an extended version. And it showed a deeper look at Burrow’s intensity level, even after a win over a bad Titans team.
“Embarrassing performance by us,” Burrow said. “F—ing embarrassing.”
“I know that,” Taylor told Burrow. “Listen, we’ll address it. But at the same time, let’s enjoy some of these wins”
“F— that,” Burrow said. “F— that. We sucked today. That was embarrassing. We jumped offsides f—ing eight times.”
When things are out of Burrow’s control, such as the team’s playoff fate in Week 18, he was much more reserved about the situation. But in terms of the things that can be influenced, there’s an intensity in his demeanor that explains how he helped transform the Bengals franchise into a winner.
2. Burrow is really into fossils
There’s a notable absence of much truly non-football content in Burrow’s scenes. Sure, there is a great scene with Kyle Smith, his personal stylist, that runs through his wardrobe choices, and a nice dinner with Burrow’s family and the family of Ja’Marr Chase, his longtime teammate dating to their days at LSU. But those are still tied to the game.
And that makes sense. After all, the show was filmed during the season. And as he said in a later episode that chronicled last year’s break-in at his home, he does not like divulging many details about his personal life.
That’s what made a detour into fossil talk a refreshing diversion.
During the season, Burrow and four teammates took a trip to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where they got to see rare fossils.
“It was like you go to the shoe store and they’re like, ‘Maybe we have it in the back,’ and it’s all the fossils back there,” Burrow said on the show. “It’s pretty sick.”
At practice, Burrow told others that he attempted to buy a fossil but was rebuffed. As for why he was thinking about fossils in an otherwise tense season?
“When aren’t fossils on your mind?” Burrow said. “They go back millions of years. That’s sick.”
3. Burrow values a good run game
One of the parts where “Quarterback” shines is when cameras are at Burrow’s home or inside his Maybach as he drives around Cincinnati. Burrow’s first extended scene in the opening episode shows him playing a Chickering & Sons piano in his home, which was part of his recovery process from a season-ending wrist injury suffered in 2023.
Some of those moments revealed a lot about how Burrow views the game, too. While watching the Detroit Lions from the couch, he made an interesting comment about why the Lions have a great offense.
“It starts with running the ball,” Burrow said while watching the Lions beat the Colts. “They run the ball better than anybody. Then you can play-action and have guys running wide [open] down the field because you’ve got to respect the run.”
Burrow is correct. Last season, the Lions had the best offense in the league. They led the NFL in points per drive and touchdowns per drive. That efficiency was fueled by an exquisite balance between the run and the pass. The Lions were first in completion percentage and yards per attempt and also third in total carries.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati has struggled to run the ball effectively throughout the entirety of Burrow’s tenure. In 2024, the Bengals were last in percentage of yards that came via the rush (25.3%) and 30th in total rushing yards per game.
Burrow’s comment in “Quarterback” might seem like a small observation. But if the Bengals can improve their run game in 2025, that could be something Burrow greatly appreciates.
