Joe Burrow isn’t holding back anymore, whether it’s on the gridiron or off it. Earlier this year, the Bengals QB publicly vouched for his teammates’ contract extensions, even saying he’d adjust his deal if needed. Burrow understood that if they were serious about chasing Super Bowl rings, keeping his key weapons was non-negotiable. And Cincy delivered, locking up Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase on long-term deals.

Fast forward to this week, Burrow appeared before the media after nearly three months. And once again, he didn’t hesitate to speak his mind. Reporters asked Joe about Cincy’s 2025 NFL schedule, and the QB didn’t hold back his disappointment. “Playing in Baltimore for the fourth straight prime-time year isn’t ideal,” he said. The 28-year-old even threw in a light-hearted plea to the league office. “Maybe we could get one of those in Cincinnati next year. Please,” he added, a message that might just land on Commissioner Roger Goodell’s desk if it gains enough traction.

Cincy have played three prime-time games against the Ravens away from home, and this year will be the fourth time. In the last three matchups between the two divisional rivals, Lamar Jackson and his team came out as winners.

But that wasn’t all. Burrow also requested that the league send the Bengals overseas for a game. And he’s got a pretty solid reason for it. The star QB said he’s been trying to do his part in growing the game internationally. “Part of the reason I wanted to do the Quarterback show is I wanted to grow the game internationally, so to not have a stage like that is a little disappointing,” Burrow said. “I feel like I’ve consciously worked hard to try to grow the game internationally over the last 18 months or so. So hopefully at some point in my career we can go over there.“

Joe Burrow’s shift on Quarterback series

In 2023, the NFL and Netflix announced Quarterback, a docuseries on three of the league’s QBs. The series features Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, and Falcons QB Marcus Mariota, who were with those teams at the time. But before finalizing these three names, Joe Burrow’s name was also in the mix. However, the Bengals’ QB declined to be a part of it.

And now, after two years, Quarterback is returning to screens with another season, and Joe Burrow is a part of it. So, what changed the QB’s mind this time? In a conversation with SI.com’s Jay Morrison, Burrow revealed that it was the show’s executive producer, Peyton Manning himself, who made him change his heart. “They caught me on a good day,” Joe joked. “A big part was Peyton being involved in it. I have a lot of respect for him, obviously. What he did, does, as a person, when that guy reaches out to you and asks you to do something… most of the time I’m going to say ‘yes,’” Burrow shared.

During the production of the first season, Manning also reached out to Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Tua Tagovailoa. But all the signal-callers turned down the offer. But Manning, this time, successfully convinced Joe to be part of it. Whether the former QB will reach out to other QBs as well is not known. However, Burrow has put his trust completely in Peyton. The Cincy QB shared, “He’s going to protect me, protect our team, protect our organization. I have trust in him for saying that and trust that he’s going to do that.”

Quarterback Season 2 drops this July, and Joe’s already had a sneak peek, but he’s leaving it up to the viewers to decide if it’s a hit or miss.