The Cincinnati Bengals know Super Bowl heartbreak all too well. Ken Anderson fell short in 1982, Boomer Esiason failed in 1989, and Joe Burrow suffered the same fate 33 years later in Super Bowl LVI. But Burrow is refusing to let history repeat itself. Fuelled by high-profile offseason additions, the star QB insists 2026 is Cincinnati’s year to finish the job. There’s just one problem: former Bengals wideout Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson thinks Burrow is making a massive mistake by talking this big before a single snap is played.

“I want Joe to simmer down a little bit. That’s all,” Johnson said on the Nightcap Podcast. “Just simmer down a little bit, you know. Speak a little bit more positivity, you know, into the world. I just think it creates an unnecessary storm when things don’t go well because you’re doing all the talking, and then when things don’t go well.

“Obviously you are the quarterback. It’s always on you when things don’t go well, but you make it worse with some of the things you’re saying before the season even starts. Gives everybody ammunition when things don’t go well.”

Honestly, at this point Burrow is just desperate to get on the big stage, and for a change, win it. That’s why he is leaving no gaps in manifesting it ahead of the 2026 season. 

“I’m trying to put it out in the world; I’m trying to manifest it,” Burrow said Thursday after a joint practice with the Bears, via The Cincinnati Enquirer. “I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have, and that I want us to have as an organization to go and make it happen. You can keep pushing it down the road, or you can talk about it now and say this is the year. I’m tired of saying next year, next year, next year. This is it.”

Burrow’s confidence comes with a heavy dose of déjà vu. Last summer, he boasted about being in peak physical form before a Week 2 injury against the Jaguars sidelined him for nine games, leaving a helpless Cincinnati team with an abysmal 1-8 record during his absence. His availability remains the team’s ultimate wildcard, but blaming the franchise’s recent stumbles on his health alone ignores an equally crippling problem: a historically bad defense. 

In 2025, Cincinnati’s defense hit rock bottom, ranking 30th after surrendering 492 points and missing 163 tackles. But that’s precisely why Burrow’s current optimism feels different. The front office aggressively retooled the roster, adding four high-impact defensive starters: Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boya Mafe, and Bryan Cook.

And as for the offense? It remains untouched. The Bengals’ offense was never the problem, at least, not when Burrow was healthy. Since entering the league in 2020, the 29-year-old quarterback has thrown for 20,810 yards and 157 touchdowns across 77 games. Yet, despite those stellar numbers, every single season has ended in heartbreak. The repeated disappointment is precisely why Chad Johnson wants Burrow to tone down the bold claims. Publicly guaranteeing a championship provides rival teams with bulletin-board material to use as extra motivation. 

Of course, the advice is deeply ironic coming from Johnson, one of the most unapologetic trash-talkers in NFL history. In 2002, after a miserable 0-7 start, Johnson publicly guaranteed a victory over the Texans. Cincinnati rolled to a 38-3 win, but his bravado quickly backfired two weeks later when he guaranteed another win against the Browns. 

“It has nothing to do with Cleveland at all,” Johnson said. “They just happen to be the team we’re playing. We’re going to win. I’m guaranteeing it.” 

Cincinnati fell 20–27, forcing Johnson to endure relentless fan backlash. And now, decades later, the former wideout who spent 10 seasons with the franchise is speaking from experience.

Moreover, Chad Johnson is genuinely fond of Joe Burrow; there is no doubt about that. The 48-year-old is a massive fan of Burrow, especially when he is healthy.  

“A healthy Joe Burrow is the best quarterback in the NFL,” Johnson said. “What he’s done for that franchise in such a short amount of time, I mean, how can he not be [the best]?” 

Johnson has even flirted with the idea of coming out of retirement to catch passes from Joe Burrow himself. While Bengals fans would love the nostalgia, the 48-year-old Ochocinco trying to separate from modern NFL cornerbacks in 2026 would likely end with him asking Burrow for a breathing mask after two routes, so let’s hope he leaves the guarantees to the young guys and sticks to firing off hot takes from the Nightcap studio.