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Most people agree that Joe Burrow is elite, but Super Bowl XLVI champion Chris Canty wants to pump the brakes. The former defensive tackle concedes that the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback is good, but not among the NFL’s best.
Canty explained his thoughts at length on Friday, via ESPN First Take.
"[Joe Burrow] is not an elite quarterback." —@ChrisCanty99 pic.twitter.com/EnXJNiyPwK
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 31, 2025
“He’s not an elite quarterback. We’ve gotta get out of this thing where we wanna anoint everyone an elite quarterback,” Canty said. “We can’t give the runner-up to the runner-up to the runner-up elite quarterback status. There ain’t but three spots on the medal stand. When we start talking about the podium, it’s a gold medal spot, it’s a silver medal spot, and it’s a bronze medal spot. The fourth-place guy don’t get an acknowledgment, and that’s where I’m at with the Joe Burrow of it all.”
While it’s true that Burrow has less individual accolades than his contemporaries, his numbers are right there with them. The LSU alum led the league with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns this past season, was third with a 74.7 quarterback rating, and was fourth with a 70.6 completion percentage.
However, Canty places more emphasis on team and individual accomplishments.
“When you look at what Patrick Mahomes has done, what Lamar Jackson has done, and Josh Allen’s body of work, those guys have done more in this league in terms of being able to validate their abilities as a quarterback,” Canty continued. “When it comes to being able to acknowledge the level of player that you are, we’ve got a couple of ways to measure that in the league. It’s Super Bowl rings, it’s MVPs, and it’s All-Pros. Joe Burrow ain’t got none of those.”
While Canty is correct, it’s not fair to fully blame Burrow for that reality. The former CFP National Champion had injury-shortened seasons in 2020 and ’23, and the Bengals (9-8) didn’t have a good supporting cast in ’24. They ranked just 25th in total defense, via FOX Sports, and they traded two-time Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon before the season started.
“Joe Burrow’s claim to fame is once upon a time four years ago, he beat Patrick Mahomes in a playoff game on his way to losing the Super Bowl,” Canty said. “I’m sorry, that doesn’t give you elite status.”
Burrow could certainly use more playoff wins on his resume, but he’s already beaten Mahomes, Allen, and Jackson once each in January. The 28-year-old also has more AFC Championship appearances than Jackson (two to one), and is the only one to have beaten Mahomes in the postseason thus far.
Regardless, quarterbacks often gets more credit for wins and more blame for losses than they deserve, so it’s understandable why Canty said what he said.
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