Joe Burrow

In the 1940s, his paternal grandmother set a Mississippi state high school record with an 82-point game in basketball.

His paternal grandfather played basketball at Mississippi State; his uncle, John Burrow, played football at Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi); and two older brothers also played football at Nebraska.

After an injury-shortened rookie season, Burrow rebounded in his second year by leading the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending the longest active drought in the four major North American sports, and an appearance in Super Bowl LVI.

In his three seasons as the Bengals' quarterback, Burrow has led the team to five postseason wins, the same amount won in franchise history prior to drafting him.

Burrow has been nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "Joe Brrr" by sportswriters and other players for his calmness under pressure.

On September 7, 2023, Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the Bengals, making him the highest paid player, in terms of annual salary ($55 million), in NFL history.

Joseph Lee Burrow (born December 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL).

Burrow was born in Ames, Iowa, on December 10, 1996, the son of Robin and Jim Burrow.

Jim is a former football player and coach whose career lasted over 40 years.

Burrow was born in Ames when his father was on the coaching staff at Iowa State University.

He attended the 2002 Rose Bowl at age five, because his father was an assistant coach for the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

Not long after, he began playing in youth football leagues.

Unlike his father, uncle, and brothers, who all played on defense, Burrow started out as a quarterback, because his first youth team had no one else who could play the position.

The Burrow family moved to North Dakota in 2003 when his father was hired as the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State University in Fargo.

One day, while Jim was visiting his office, future Central Michigan head coach Dan Enos commented that the seven-year-old Joe had a future in football.

The Burrows spent two years in Fargo before Jim accepted the defensive coordinator position at Ohio University in Athens.

Burrow attended Athens High School (2011–14) in The Plains, Ohio, leading the school to three straight playoff appearances and the school's first seven playoff victories in school history.

During his career, he passed for 11,416 yards with 157 passing touchdowns and rushed for 2,067 yards with 27 rushing touchdowns.

He was awarded the state's Mr. Football Award and Gatorade Player of the Year award as a senior in 2014.

He and his Bulldog teammates went 14–1 that season.

He was also a standout basketball player, and was named first-team all-state at point guard his senior year.

He committed to Ohio State to play football on May 27, 2014.

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

After redshirting his first year at Ohio State in 2015, Burrow spent the next two years as a backup to J. T. Barrett, during which he played in 10 games, completing 29 of 39 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns.

During Ohio State's spring game in 2018, Burrow completed 15 of 22 pass attempts for 238 yards and two touchdowns.

The game was further part of Ohio State's competition for the starting quarterback position, contested by Burrow, Barrett, and Dwayne Haskins.

Following the game, Burrow told reporters "I didn't come here to sit on the bench for four years. I know I'm a pretty good quarterback. I want to play somewhere."

Realizing that Haskins would be named starting quarterback at Ohio State, Burrow transferred to Louisiana State University (LSU) on May 18, 2018.

Burrow had graduated from Ohio State in three years with a degree in consumer and family financial services, and would be immediately eligible as a graduate transfer.

In his first year at LSU, Burrow was named the starting quarterback as a redshirt junior in 2018.

In an early season road trip to then-No.

7 Auburn, Burrow threw for 249 yards and a touchdown en route to a 22–21 win.

He was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Offensive Player of the Week following the victory.

He again earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors following a 292-yard, three-touchdown performance against Ole Miss two weeks later.

Burrow played in LSU's 7-overtime and 5-hour long loss to Texas A&M.

After the game, Burrow experienced fatigue and had to be receive IV therapy from trainers.

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

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

Following a stint at Ohio State, Burrow played college football at LSU, winning the Heisman Trophy and the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship as a senior.

He was selected by the Bengals first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.