Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the only finalist for the 2024 AP Most Valuable Player Award to not be associated with a playoff team. While some would say that fact shows how great of a season Burrow enjoyed, former NFL defensive lineman and one-time Super Bowl champion Chris Canty shared quite a different take during Tuesday's edition of the ESPN Radio "Unsportsmanlike" program.
"Joe Burrow is a good quarterback," Canty said during a show segment. "He's a great quarterback. He's just not an elite quarterback because elite quarterbacks aren't healthy the entire season and [miss] the playoffs ... Show me the elite quarterback that is healthy from Week 1 through Week 18 and that team doesn't make the playoffs."
Canty's co-hosts were downright stunned by his comments, which is understandable considering what Burrow accomplished during the regular season. According to Pro Football Reference, the 28-year-old finished Week 18 leading the NFL with 4,918 passing yards, 43 touchdowns through the air, 460 completions and 652 pass attempts. Burrow was ranked third among qualified players with a 74.7 adjusted QBR and third with a 108.5 passer rating.
Last week, the Professional Football Writers of America revealed that voters chose Burrow as the 2024 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. His 2023 campaign ended prematurely because of a wrist injury.
Nevertheless, Canty stood by his stance on Tuesday morning.
"If he's so great, then why is his team not in the playoffs, and a team like the Denver Broncos with Bo Nix is, as a rookie quarterback?" Canty added while trying to make his point about Burrow.
Per ESPN stats, the 9-8 Bengals ended the regular season ranked 25th in the league in total defense (348.3 yards allowed per game) and tied for 25th in points surrendered per contest (25.5). Cincinnati subsequently fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and ultimately replaced him with Al Golden, who most recently served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Notre Dame.
Whether or not Canty was simply trying to attract attention and fill time during what is often a quiet week in the sports world is unknown. With that said, it's practically a guarantee that a majority of clubs would happily replace their current QB1s with Burrow ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft if given the opportunity.
