History of Joe Burrow in Timeline

Joe Burrow is a professional American football quarterback currently playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. He achieved significant success in college, playing for both Ohio State and LSU. During his senior year at LSU, he won the Heisman Trophy and led the team to a College Football Playoff National Championship. His outstanding college performance led to him being drafted first overall by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Sections (4)

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

1987: Previous Playoff Record for Most Sacks

In 1987, Wade Wilson set the playoff record for most times sacked in a single postseason with 14 sacks, a record that Joe Burrow later surpassed.

1988: Bengals' Last Super Bowl Appearance

In 1988, the Bengals last appeared in the Super Bowl, before Joe Burrow led them to another appearance.

1990: Bengals' Playoff Win Drought

In 1990, the Bengals' playoff win drought began and was finally broken in Burrow's playoff debut.

1993: Tied for Most Sacks in a Playoff Game

In 1993, Warren Moon was sacked nine times in a playoff game, a record that Joe Burrow tied.

December 10, 1996: Joseph Lee Burrow Born

On December 10, 1996, Joseph Lee Burrow was born. He is now a professional football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL.

2001: Surpassed the LSU record for single-season passing yards

During the game against Ole Miss, Joe Burrow surpassed the LSU record for single-season passing yards set by Rohan Davey in 2001.

2001: Most Passing Yards in School History

In Week 2 against Texas, Burrow threw for 471 yards, the most since Rohan Davey's 528 against Alabama in 2001.

2002: Attended the 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 his father was hired as the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State University in Fargo.

2006: Tied for Largest Comeback in Conference Championship

In 2006, the Indianapolis Colts had an 18-point comeback, which was later tied by the Bengals in a game where Joe Burrow played.

2006: Broke Colt Brennan's record

In 2019, Joe Burrow broke Colt Brennan's 2006 single-season FBS record for passing touchdowns.

2007: Tom Brady's Season

In 2007, Tom Brady achieved a season with at least 4,500 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions, a feat later matched by Joe Burrow.

2009: Tied for fourth most passing yards in a season

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

2011: Attended Athens High School

From 2011, Joe Burrow attended Athens High School where he led the team to three straight playoff appearances and the school's first seven playoff victories.

2011: Aaron Rodgers' Season

In 2011, Aaron Rodgers achieved a season with at least 4,500 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions, a feat later matched by Joe Burrow.

2012: Compared to 2012 BCS National Championship Game

The November 9 game between LSU and Alabama was the highest ranked game between the two schools since they 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: Bengals first winning record since 2015

Against the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow helped the Bengals clinch their first winning record since the 2015 season.

2015: Bengals Clinched AFC North for first time since 2015

Against the Kansas City Chiefs, The win helped the Bengals clinch the AFC North and a playoff berth for the first time since 2015.

2015: Redshirted First Year at Ohio State

In 2015, Joe Burrow redshirted his first year at Ohio State.

2015: Ranked as a 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.

May 18, 2018: Transferred to LSU

On May 18, 2018, Joe Burrow transferred to Louisiana State University (LSU) after realizing he wouldn't be the starting quarterback at Ohio State. He had graduated from Ohio State with a degree in consumer and family financial services.

2018: Named LSU Starting Quarterback

In 2018, Joe Burrow was named the starting quarterback at LSU as a redshirt junior.

2018: SEC Analyst Jordan Rodgers on Burrow's Performance

In 2018, SEC analyst Jordan Rodgers described Joe Burrow as "wildly inconsistent, and frankly very poor against good competition".

December 14, 2019: Won the Heisman Trophy

On December 14, 2019, Joe Burrow was awarded the 2019 Heisman Trophy. His acceptance speech highlighted poverty and food insecurity in his hometown, leading to $450,000 in donations to the Athens County food bank.

December 2019: School Stadium Renamed

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

2019: Sports Illustrated Story

According to a 2019 Sports Illustrated story, "The Burrow athletic lineage dates back nearly a century."

2019: Record-Breaking Peach Bowl Performance

During LSU's College Football Playoff semifinal game against Oklahoma in the 2019 Peach Bowl, Joe Burrow threw for seven touchdowns in the first half and had a total of 493 passing yards, along with a rushing touchdown, resulting in a 63–28 victory.

2019: Named LSU Starting Quarterback

In 2019, Joe Burrow was named LSU's starting quarterback heading into his redshirt senior season and earned multiple SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

2019: Record-Breaking 2019 Season

Joe Burrow finished his 2019 season with 60 passing touchdowns, breaking the single-season FBS record. He also set an FBS single-season record with 65 total touchdowns. His passer rating of 202 for the season was a record at the time.

2019: Burrow's 2019 Season Draws Attention

Joe Burrow's 2019 season helped draw more attention to scouts to reconsider their evaluation of him.

July 31, 2020: Signed Rookie Contract with Bengals

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 for NFL Draft

During the 2020 NFL Draft, Joe Burrow wore a T-shirt with the number 740 in reference to the area code for Athens and Appalachian Ohio.

2020: Finished Rookie Season

In 2020, Joe Burrow finished his rookie season with 264 completions for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. His interception percentage was the fourth lowest for a rookie in NFL history. The Bengals finished with a 4-11 record.

2020: Drafted into the NFL

In 2020, Joe Burrow was selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL draft after a successful college football career.

2020: Bengals select Burrow as top pick

In 2020, The Bengals selected Joe Burrow as the top pick in the NFL draft due to his football IQ, accuracy, pocket mobility, and playmaking ability.

2020: Won National Championship and Named Offensive MVP

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

2021: Called his own plays during the 2021 Divisional Round game

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

2021: Breakout Season and Comeback Player of the Year

In 2021, Burrow led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990 and a Super Bowl LVI appearance, earning him Comeback Player of the Year.

2021: Sports Illustrated writer Mike Santagata on Burrow's Physique

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

2021: Tied for FBS record with Bailey Zappe

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

February 2022: Appeared On-Stage with Kid Cudi

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

June 2022: Spoke Out on Abortion Rights

In June 2022, Joe Burrow spoke out on Instagram in favor of abortion rights in the United States.

July 26, 2022: Emergency Appendectomy

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

2022: NFL Playoffs and AFC Championship Appearance

In 2022, Joe Burrow led the Bengals to the NFL playoffs and an AFC Championship appearance.

2022: Ranked 21st on NFL Top 100 Players

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

January 2023: Purchased a Farm in Iowa

In January 2023, Joe Burrow, along with other athletes, purchased a farm in north Iowa with plans to acquire agricultural assets.

September 7, 2023: Signed Record-Breaking Contract Extension

On September 7, 2023, Joe Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension, becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time.

November 17, 2023: Bengals Announce Burrow to Miss Remainder of Season & NFL Investigation

On November 17, 2023, the Bengals announced that Joe Burrow would miss the remainder of the season due to a torn Scapholunate ligament in his right wrist and the NFL launched an investigation into the Bengals injury report policy compliance.

December 9, 2023: NFL Investigation Concludes Bengals Compliant

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

2023: Largest NFL Contract

In 2023, 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.

2023: Ranked 6th on NFL Top 100 Players

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

2023: Plays Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In a 2023 interview, 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: Team Support During Injury

Throughout the remaining games of the 2023 season, Joe Burrow continued to be involved with team activities, supporting his teammates from the sidelines while recovering from his injury.

2024: Passing Leader and Comeback Player of the Year

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

2024: First Win of the Season

In 2024, Joe Burrow and the Bengals won their first game of the season against the Carolina Panthers after an uncharacteristic pregame speech from Burrow.