Joe Burrow's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Joe Burrow.

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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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: 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.

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.

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: 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.

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: 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: 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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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: 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.