History of Joe Burrow in Timeline

Joe Burrow is a professional American football quarterback currently playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL. He previously played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and later transferred to LSU, where he achieved significant success. As a senior at LSU, Burrow won the Heisman Trophy and led his team to victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship. His outstanding college performance led to him being selected as the first overall pick by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1987: Previous Record for Most Sacks in a Postseason

In 1987, Wade Wilson set the previous record for most times sacked in a single postseason with 14 sacks. This is in reference to Burrow's surpassed record.

1988: Bengals' Last Super Bowl Appearance

In 1988, the Bengals last appeared in the Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXIII) prior to Joe Burrow leading them to Super Bowl LVI.

1990: Bengals' Playoff Win Drought

In 1990, the Bengals' playoff win drought began, which ended when they won against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card Round.

1993: Most Sacked in a Playoff Game

In 1993, Warren Moon was sacked nine times in a playoff game, a record that Joe Burrow later tied. This is mentioned as a point of comparison to Burrow's own experience in a playoff game.

December 10, 1996: Joseph Lee Burrow Born

On December 10, 1996, Joseph Lee Burrow was born. He would later become a professional football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL.

2001: Reference to Rohan Davey's Record

In 2019, Joe Burrow threw for 471 yards against Texas, the second-most in school history and the most since Rohan Davey's 528 against Alabama in 2001.

2001: Surpassed LSU Passing Record

In a game against Ole Miss in 2019, Joe Burrow threw for 489 yards, surpassing the LSU record set by Rohan Davey in 2001 for single-season passing yards.

2002: Attended Rose Bowl

In 2002, at the age of five, Joe Burrow attended the Rose Bowl because his father was an assistant coach for the University of Nebraska.

2003: Family Moved to North Dakota

In 2003, the Burrow family moved to North Dakota when Joe's father was hired as the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State University.

2006: Largest Comeback in a Conference Championship

In 2006, the Indianapolis Colts had an 18-point comeback in a conference championship game. This is mentioned as a comparison to a comeback Joe Burrow had.

2006: Colt Brennan's Record Reference

Joe Burrow broke the single-season FBS record with 60 passing touchdowns, surpassing the previous record of 58 set by Colt Brennan in 2006.

2007: Passing Yards, Touchdowns, and Interceptions Benchmark

In 2007, Tom Brady achieved the milestone of at least 4,500 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions, a feat that Burrow later matched.

2009: Tied for Fourth-Most Passing Yards

Joe Burrow's 5,671 passing yards in 2019 is tied with Case Keenum in 2009 for fourth-most in an FBS season.

2011: Attended Athens High School

From 2011 to 2014, Joe Burrow attended Athens High School in The Plains, Ohio.

2011: Passing Yards, Touchdowns, and Interceptions Benchmark

In 2011, Aaron Rodgers achieved the milestone of at least 4,500 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions, a feat that Burrow later matched.

2012: Reference to 2012 BCS National Championship Game

When LSU played Alabama on November 9, 2019, the two schools were ranked higher than they had been since they had played in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game.

May 27, 2014: Committed to Ohio State

On May 27, 2014, Joe Burrow committed to Ohio State to play football.

2015: First Bengals Winning Record Since 2015

Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16, Joe Burrow led the Bengals to their ninth win of the year, clinching the first winning record for the team since the 2015 season. This victory also put the Bengals in first place of the AFC North, and as a result of his performance Burrow was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

2015: Redshirted at Ohio State

In 2015, Joe Burrow redshirted his first year at Ohio State. He then spent the next two years as a backup to J. T. Barrett.

2015: Rated as a Four-Star Football Recruit

In 2015, Joe Burrow was rated as a four-star football recruit and was the eighth-highest ranked dual-threat quarterback in the class according to the 247Sports Composite.

2015: Bengals' Best Record Since 2015

In 2015, the Bengals had their best record before the 2022 season where they finished 12-4.

2015: Clinching the AFC North

In the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, Joe Burrow threw for 446 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in the 34–31 win, helping the Bengals clinch the AFC North and a playoff berth for the first time since 2015.

May 18, 2018: Transferred to LSU

On May 18, 2018, Joe Burrow transferred to Louisiana State University (LSU) after graduating from Ohio State with a degree in consumer and family financial services. He was immediately eligible as a graduate transfer.

2018: Named Starting Quarterback at LSU

In 2018, Joe Burrow was named the starting quarterback for LSU as a redshirt junior. He led the Tigers to a 10–3 record, including a win over UCF in the Fiesta Bowl.

2018: Analyst Jordan Rodgers on Burrow

In 2018, SEC analyst Jordan Rodgers opined that Burrow was "wildly inconsistent, and frankly very poor against good competition".

December 14, 2019: Awarded the Heisman Trophy

On December 14, 2019, Joe Burrow was awarded the 2019 Heisman Trophy, with the largest victory margin in the history of the award. His acceptance speech led to $450,000 in donations to the Athens County food bank.

December 2019: Stadium Renamed in Burrow's Honor

In December 2019, the Athens City School District school board unanimously approved a measure to rename the school's football stadium in honor of Joe Burrow.

2019: Attention from Scouts

Burrow's 2019 season was cited as helping draw more attention to scouts to reconsider their evaluation of him, and his football IQ, accuracy, pocket mobility, and playmaking outside of the pocket have all been cited as strengths of his game.

2019: Named LSU's Starting Quarterback

In 2019, Joe Burrow was named LSU's starting quarterback heading into his redshirt senior season.

2019: Sports Illustrated Story

In 2019, a Sports Illustrated story highlighted the Burrow family's athletic history, dating back nearly a century.

2019: College Football Playoff Semifinal Game

In 2019, during LSU's College Football Playoff semifinal game against Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl, Joe Burrow threw for seven touchdowns in the first half and had a total of 493 passing yards, leading the Tigers to a 63–28 victory.

2019: Record-Breaking Season

Joe Burrow finished his 2019 season with 60 passing touchdowns, breaking the single-season FBS record. He also set a FBS single-season record with 65 total touchdowns.

July 31, 2020: Signed Rookie Contract

On July 31, 2020, Joe Burrow signed his four-year rookie contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, worth $36.1 million.

2020: Wore 740 T-shirt During NFL Draft

During the 2020 NFL draft, Joe Burrow wore a T-shirt with the number 740, referencing the area code for Athens and Appalachian Ohio.

2020: Rookie Season

In 2020, Joe Burrow finished his rookie season with 264 completions, 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions. The Bengals finished the season with a 4-11 record, missing the playoffs.

2020: Invited to NFL Draft

In 2020, Joe Burrow was one of 58 players invited to the NFL draft, where he was selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.

2020: Drafted into the NFL

In 2020, Joe Burrow was selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL draft.

2020: NFL Draft Top Pick

In 2020, the Bengals selected Joe Burrow as the top pick in the NFL draft.

2020: National Championship Victory

In the 2020 National Championship Game against Clemson, Joe Burrow threw for 463 yards with six total touchdowns, leading LSU to a 42–25 victory and earning the game's offensive MVP title.

2021: Calling Plays

As a Bengal, Burrow was noted to have successfully called his own plays during the 2021 Divisional Round game against Tennessee.

2021: Playoff Win and Super Bowl Appearance

In 2021, Joe Burrow led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990 and an appearance in Super Bowl LVI. He was also awarded Comeback Player of the Year.

2021: Sports Illustrated Writer Comments on Joe Burrow's Size

In 2021, Sports Illustrated writer Mike Santagata wrote that Burrow is "bigger than he looks at about 230 pounds," while also noting his athleticism and strength.

2021: Tied for FBS Single-Season Record

In the 2019 season, Joe Burrow set a FBS single-season record with 65 total touchdowns, which was tied by Bailey Zappe in 2021.

February 2022: Appearance with Kid Cudi

In February 2022, Joe Burrow appeared on-stage with Kid Cudi during a Super Bowl afterparty.

June 2022: Speaking Out on Roe v. Wade

In June 2022, Joe Burrow spoke out on Instagram in favor of abortion rights in the United States after the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned.

July 26, 2022: Emergency Appendectomy

On July 26, 2022, Joe Burrow underwent emergency surgery to remove his appendix due to severe appendicitis.

2022: NFL Top 100 Players of 2022

In 2022, Joe Burrow was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.

2022: NFL Playoffs 2022-23

In 2022, during the 2022-23 NFL playoffs, Joe Burrow led the Bengals to a narrow win over the Ravens and a decisive victory over the Bills, en route to their second consecutive AFC Championship appearance.

January 2023: Purchase of Iowa Farm

In January 2023, Joe Burrow was among a coalition of about a dozen athletes, including Blake Griffin and Kevin Gausman, who purchased a 104-acre north Iowa farm with plans to further acquire a diverse set of agricultural assets.

September 7, 2023: Contract Extension

On September 7, 2023, Joe Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension, becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history on an annual basis with an average annual salary of $55 million.

November 17, 2023: Bengals Injury Report Policy Investigation

On November 17, 2023, the NFL launched an investigation into whether the Bengals complied with the injury report policy after the Bengals posted and deleted a video of Burrow wearing a soft cast.

December 9, 2023: NFL Investigation Conclusion

On December 9, 2023, the NFL concluded their investigation and found that the Bengals were compliant with the league's injury report policy.

2023: Largest NFL Contract and Division Title

In 2023, Joe Burrow signed the largest contract in NFL history at the time in terms of annual salary and led the Bengals to their first consecutive division title in franchise history.

2023: Super Smash Bros. Gamer

In 2023, Joe Burrow stated that he usually plays "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" on flights to road games with his teammates, and that he frequently plays as Ness from Earthbound.

2023: NFL Top 100 Players of 2023

In 2023, Joe Burrow was ranked 6th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players, marking his first appearance in the top ten on the list.

2023: Supporting Teammates from the Sidelines

Throughout the remainder of the 2023 season, Joe Burrow supported his teammates, especially backup quarterback Jake Browning, from the sidelines during all remaining games.

2024: Led League in Passing Despite Missing Playoffs

Despite the Cincinnati Bengals missing the playoffs in 2024, Joe Burrow led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns and was awarded his second Comeback Player of the Year Award.

2024: Batmobile Replica Purchase

In 2024, Joe Burrow bought one of the ten replicas of the Batmobile from "The Dark Knight" film trilogy for $2.9 million to add to his car collection.

2024: Career-Best Season and Comeback Player of the Year

In 2024, Joe Burrow finished the season with a career-best 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, leading the NFL in both statistics. He also won the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

2024: NFL Top 100 Players of 2024

In 2024, Joe Burrow was ranked 39th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players.

2024: First Win of the Season

In 2024, before the Bengals' Week 4 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, Burrow delivered a pregame speech. The Bengals won their first game of the season, with Burrow passing for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

September 16, 2025: Injured Reserve Placement

On September 16, 2025, Joe Burrow was officially placed on injured reserve due to a metatarsophalangeal joint sprain known as turf toe as well as "significant ligament damage".