Joe Burrow Gone If Bengals Fail? Way-Too-Early AFC North 2026 Predictions
We’re almost to May, one of the quieter periods on the NFL calendar, before we hit the summer when training camps begin, and the excitement of football starts to fill the air.
For one team, though, the Cincinnati Bengals, there is no time to be calm and relaxed, as this could be one of their biggest seasons in franchise history.
After three seasons of missing the playoffs, reports indicate that if they fail to reach the postseason again, franchise quarterback Joe Burrow might be ready to start searching for a fresh start elsewhere.
Here are my way-too-early predictions on what could be a dogfight in a messy AFC North.
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1. Baltimore Ravens
Although I don’t think the Ravens are nearly as strong as previous rosters they’ve had around Lamar Jackson in the past, they are the only franchise I sort of trust in this division going into 2026.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
I have the Bengals as the second-best team in the AFC North, but does that even matter in the long run?
It’s not about being decent in the division for Burrow unless the team wins it, and I don’t have them better than the Ravens.
Cincinnati has tried to build up its generally porous defense over the offseason, but it might be too late to salvage a situation that looked so promising a few years ago when the team made the Super Bowl.
I don’t know if 2026 will be Burrow’s last in a Bengals uniform if they miss the playoffs, but I’m almost certain it will be Zac Taylor’s if they go a fourth straight year without postseason ball.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
I don’t know who their starting quarterback is. Right now, it might be Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, Drew Allar, or the UPS driver who delivers packages to the team’s headquarters.
4. Cleveland Browns
I don’t know who their starting quarterback is. Right now, it might be Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, Taylen Green, or the DoorDash driver who delivers food to the team’s headquarters.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 8:13 PM.