Mike Florio claims Joe Burrow "would have refused to play for the Bengals" if he wasn't from Ohio

Joe Burrow just wrapped up arguably the biggest power play of his entire career. As his rival Kansas City Chiefs were getting ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, Burrow was taking on his own front office, pressuring them to sign Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

However, Burrow's power flex would have come much sooner, perhaps even on Day 1, according to Mike Florio.

Speaking on Friday's edition of "Pro Football Talk," the NFL analyst claimed that Burrow could have created a John Elway-like holdout scenario if not for one lucky coincidence, the place where he went to high school: Ohio. Florio said (2:21):

"I'll mention it, and Bengals fans don't like it, but I'm going to mention it again. If Joe Burrow was from Athens, Georgia, and not Athens, Ohio, he would have refused to play for the Bengals."

Even if the young quarterback hadn't reached a Super Bowl, the playoffs or even won a starting job, he still might have believed that he controlled his fate enough to play hardball with the NFL. As previously mentioned, the occurrence wouldn't have been the first.

John Elway was originally drafted to the Baltimore Colts in 1983 and never played a snap for the franchise. The Colts were forced to trade him to the Denver Broncos where he stayed for the duration of his 16-year career.

Where Joe Burrow might have ended up instead of the Bengals

Joe Burrow at 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games - Source: Getty

Of course, revisionist history lives in the land of what-ifs. However, knowing what fans and analysts know now, Joe Burrow's fate could have gone a number of ways. Assuming that the Cincinnati Bengals had drafted Burrow first overall and were forced to trade him, two likely spots would have made sense.

The Bengals would have wanted to trade him into the NFC so they wouldn't have any realistic chance of facing them in the playoffs. As such, the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons might have jumped at the chance for Burrow.

The Seahawks might have been cooling on Russell Wilson in 2020, considering they traded him after the 2021 season as soon as he hit turbulence. As such, getting Burrow together with Pete Carroll might have made sense.

The Atlanta Falcons were also in a similar boat, choosing to move on from Matt Ryan after the 2021 season. They also might have jumped at the chance for the quarterback.

Of course, with the past in the past, other fan bases can only wonder what could have happened with Joe Burrow.

If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Pro Football Talk," and H/T Sportskeeda.