On a day Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor dodged questions about the length of his contract, quarterback Joe Burrow had another head-turning press conference, too. 

The internet, as it does, latched on to Burrow remaining open-minded and honest about a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to whether he could see himself playing with a different team in 2026 (“I can’t see that, no.”). 

But tucked into many of Burrow’s comments were read-between-the-lines messages to Bengals ownership. 

Don’t believe it? 

Try this: “I think we have great coaches. I think we’re consistently put in good positions to make plays and do our best.”

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Burrow isn’t going to publicly bash anyone. That includes the coaches. And the players, himself included? Not doing their best. 

But here’s the real kicker: 

“What we’ve been doing hasn’t worked the last couple of years. We have to think outside the box and get creative about where we go from here.”

Outside the box and get creative about where we go from here being the key phrases to look at. 

Burrow isn’t advocating for anyone to get fired (publicly, anyway). But one of the big problems with the recent report that made it pretty clear Taylor, Duke Tobin and Al Golden are safe for 2026 is the family-based nature of how the Bengals organization operates. 

In theory, if Tobin isn’t going to be shown the door (he’s been in town since 1999), an outside voice joining the fray (at general manager, perhaps), might provide the outside perspective needed to keep modernizing and improve the approach. 

It’s the same idea for the coaching staff. Golden was a former coach under Taylor. He got brought back and his primary forte, linebackers, has been a disaster. Bringing on coaches from outside Taylor’s tree might be the best move.

When Burrow famously said the Bengals needed to stop letting good players get out the door, it stopped. So when he says let’s get creative and out of comfort zones, maybe that’s what comes next. 

And if not? Burrow is calculated with everything he says. The Bengals might not like what he says in the wake of another losing season if the organization doesn’t continue to modernize and evolve. 

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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Joe Burrow quietly said critical point Bengals should take seriously