NFL Hall of Famer sees way more than Pro Bowls in Joe Burrow’s future with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins by his side
Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young sees what every Bengals fan sees in Joe Burrow.
NFL Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Steve Young is coaching the AFC roster in Tuesday’s Pro Bowl Games, and now he’ll have Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow at his disposal.
Burrow became a last-second addition to the Pro Bowl roster, and will join teammates Joe Flacco, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins in San Francisco for the festivities this week.
They would all rather be playing in the game being played on Sunday in Santa Clara, but Young is a believer Cincinnati can get back there with this group.
Steve Young is bullish on the Bengals with their Pro Bowlers
Young was a Pro Bowler for seven consecutive years from 1992-98 thanks in part to having Jerry Rice for that entire run, and a young Terrell Owens for the final three years. He hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as the starter in 1994, right at the peak of his and Rice’s primes.
Over 20 years later, he envisions the Bengals having more chances of reaching the mountaintop with their QB and stud wideouts.
“He’s that guy,” Young said of Burrow to Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson. “I saw Tee and I see Ja’Marr and if everyone’s healthy. . .there’s no reason why the Bengals shouldn’t be competing for a championship every year.”
Health has been a large hurdle for Cincy to overcome since falling in the AFC Championship Game in 2022. Burrow and Higgins have missed a combined 28 games over the past three years, and the Bengals have missed the playoffs all three years
When Burrow is out there, he plays at a Pro Bowl level with an All-Pro mindset. Young backed up the original “Joe Cool” for four years before taking over for Joe Montana for good in the early 1990s. Burrow has often been compared to Montana for his play under pressure in big moments, and Young sees why.
“His guile, I’ll call it,” Young said. “He has elite guile. Street smarts. Most people’s heart rate goes up when the pressure goes up. But it seems like Joe’s goes down. He’s so present and aware. I’m looking forward to seeing him.”
The stakes of a flag football exhibition between some of the NFL’s best players aren’t nearly as high as the games the Bengals want to be playing this time of year, but Burrow, Chase, and Higgins all making the team is another testament to Cincinnati’s potential at achieving what was nearly won a few years back.
Young is still a believer it can happen.
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