As the Week 16 clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins heats up, this matchup has brought a big milestone for Cincy’s franchise quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow has become the 5th fastest quarterback in the NFL to cross 20,000 career passing yards. The Bengals’ official Instagram account just made the announcement, followed by a short message: “Another milestone for QB1.”

The milestone was brought home with 7:58 left in the first quarter. Burrow threw a 35-yard dagger from the Bengals’ end zone to Tee Higgins, who leaped up and made the catch. Burrow notably got this achievement through just 75 career games and now sits behind Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck, and Dan Marino. What’s more, there’s another milestone just waiting to happen in Week 16 for Burrow.

Burrow has already thrown for a touchdown in the game, and if he can throw another scoring dime, that will mark his 150th career touchdown pass. Only two other quarterbacks in history have been able to achieve this particular milestone in their first 75 career games: Mahomes and Marino.

The 20,000-yard campaign and a possible 150th touchdown pass now firmly ink Burrow in Cincy history. But against the Week 16 backdrop, it’s interesting to think that this legacy may have actually played out for the Miami Dolphins instead.

Back during the 2020 draft, when Cincy snagged Burrow with the first overall pick, Miami had reportedly offered 4 first-round picks to Cincy to move up the draft board to snag Burrow. Needless to say, Cincy didn’t budge, and Burrow is now creating milestones despite struggling through injuries earlier in the season.

But as the Bengals play for pride this December, being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, Burrow’s comments that sparked trade talks last week also add another layer to this story.

Joe Burrow on trade speculations

Joe Burrow had another milestone in Week 15, but not one a quarterback of his caliber would ever want to have. For the first time in his career, he was held to zero points by the Baltimore Ravens last week when they shut out the Bengals with a 24-0 victory. That loss became another dark chapter in Cincy’s first losing season since Burrow joined in 2020. And after that Week 15 loss, Burrow fueled major narratives around his future in Cincinnati.

“No, it certainly doesn’t change my desire to win,” Burrow had said before the Ravens matchup on his birthday. “If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. I’ve been through a lot, and if it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for?”

Was he not happy in Cincy? That was the question on everyone’s mind. The trade rumors came next, with multiple teams being linked to be in line to snag him if a trade does happen. After the devastating Week 15 loss, that question popped up again. But Burrow shut it down swiftly.

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“My comments had nothing to do with Cincinnati,” Burrow clarified in his post game presser. “My comments had everything to do with me and my mindset and football.”

So, Joe Burrow is locked in with the Bengals. And given that he’s making history and trying to torch the Dolphins’ defense every chance he gets in Week 16, there’s no doubt he’s still fighting despite facing a losing season. The Bengals are leading 17-14 at halftime, and Burrow has yet to make his 150th career passing touchdown. There’s no question about his future. The question now: can he hold on to the lead and get another milestone for himself in this game?