Bengals QB Joe Burrow expected to be fully fit by May, will get 3 months to prepare for the next season

Burrow said he may make a full comeback around May.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow expected to be fully fit by May, will get 3 months to prepare for the next season

Joe Burrow before an NFL, American Football Herren, USA game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs on Dec 31, 2023 (Image via IMAGO)

Joe Burrow‘s 2023 season ended prematurely in Week 11. Since then, he has been in rehab and waiting to return to full fitness before padding up for the offseason OTAs.

Burrow finished the season with 244 completions for 2309 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He only managed to win 5 games out of 10 in a season that began with a calf strain and ended with an injured wrist on his throwing hand.

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With the 2024 season calendar almost at the doorstep, the Cincinnati Bengals No. 1 quarterback gave a hint when he would be back training with the team. ESPN.com‘s Ben Baby reported on Sunday,

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I [Joe Burrow] think the middle of May is when I am expecting to kind of be cleared for full contact and everything. Over the next month [to] month and a half, we'll kind of decide all those things.

Joe Burrow said he is close to full fitness

Before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Baltimore, eagle-eyed reporters captured on tape that Burrow’s right wrist was wrapped. But when he arrived for the game, there wasn’t a trace of any strapping or braces. The 27-year-old avoided answering it when pressured by the media. 

In that very game, he further injured his hand while practicing throws on the sidelines. Later, the NFL sent a notice to the Bengals for an investigation into whether they violated the policy of notifying the league of Borrow’s injury. Jake Browning replaced Burrow for the rest of the season.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow expected to be fully fit by May, will get 3 months to prepare for the next season
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow emerges from the examination tent before running to the locker room with a wrist injury (Image via IMAGO)

After almost three months, the LSU alumnus seems to be doing well. Besides providing a timeline for his return to practice at the facility, Burrow revealed that the strength in his throwing hand has returned. Unlike before, he can throw a football without any discomfort.

I can lift basically normally now, which I'm excited about. So for the next two months, I'll basically be doing what I've done for the last couple of years. Just the 12 weeks of extra work in the rearview.

Burrow’s contract with the Bengals

Ask any football fan who are the top 5 current NFL quarterbacks; despite the injury-hit season, most will pick Joe Burrow on their list. After a 2022 campaign that took the Bengals to the Super Bowl, they decided to upgrade his contract.

Last year, the Bengals gave Burrow a five-year, $275 million contract extension. It made him the highest-paid quarterback in terms of annual earnings, which are $55 million, surpassing the previous best, Justin Herbert‘s $262.5 million just 2 weeks earlier. Burrow’s contract includes $219 million in guaranteed money and a $40 million signing bonus. 

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