The past few years have been disheartening for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
In November 2023, Burrow tore ligaments in his throwing wrist, a season-ending injury. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick played spectacularly throughout the 2024 NFL season, leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. But the Bengals finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs. Then, last season, Burrow suffered severe turf toe, sidelining him for nine games. By the time he returned on Thanksgiving, the Bengals’ season was circling the drain.
Last December, a dejected Burrow gave a super honest press conference about his frustrations over his injuries.
“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” Burrow said, in part. “I’ve been through a lot, and if it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for?”
Burrow later clarified that his comments had “nothing to do with Cincinnati,” but NFL fans and media alike wondered whether he might pull an Andrew Luck and retire early.
Ever since then, Burrow has been under an even more intense microscope, and now, people are dissecting not only what he says at his press conferences, but what he wears to them.
The Bengals opened their preseason against the Detroit Lions on Thursday, and Burrow sported a green hat reading “I WORK HERE” to his postgame presser.
Joe Burrow sporting the green. “I work here” hat sums up the first preseason win. pic.twitter.com/afP5kpbfz4
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) August 14, 2026
You know it’s the preseason when FS1’s First Things First spent a few minutes debating whether Burrow’s hat selection is “something or nothing,” a running bit on the show.
Something or nothing: Joe Burrow’s “I work here” hat?@getnickwright, @kevinwildes, and @Chris_Broussard discuss: pic.twitter.com/Zn0ABLg7UJ
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) August 14, 2026
“He’s a bit of a fashionista,” host Kevin Wildes said. “His hat says ‘I work here.’ There’s plenty of hats you could choose from. He chose this one. Something or nothing?”
“It has to be something,” Chris Broussard said. “I’m not saying it’s something negative about the Bengals. I mean, he’s from Ohio. He’s had plenty of opportunities to ask out or make noise if he wanted to. But you don’t wear a statement hat without it meaning something.”
Nick Wright noted that it would be worse if the hat read “I JUST WORK HERE.”
Wildes added, “It’s not 100 points of something. There’s no way. Look, it’s a Friday in August. It’s not a big deal at all. But it’s not nothing!”
Burrow is known for his dry humor. His hat was definitely clever and overwhelmingly unlikely to be some cry for help or warning shot to the Bengals. However, if Burrow and the Bengals struggle again, the scrutiny will only intensify as the 2026 NFL season progresses. And if Cincinnati fails to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, the hot take machine may overheat.
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