Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had a monster season in 2024 despite his team not making it to the playoffs as he returned from the wrist injury that hampered him last year to post career highs with a 70.6 percent completion percentage, 4,918 passing yards, and 43 touchdowns.
Those types of numbers solidified what almost every fan already knew, and that’s that Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the game unless you ask one analyst who disagrees.
Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Chris Canty appeared on First Take on Friday and said, “He’s not an elite quarterback” when speaking about Burrow.
This stunned Cam Newton, Stephen A. Smith, and Molly Qerim, who were all sharing the stage with him.
"[Joe Burrow] is not an elite quarterback." —@ChrisCanty99 ? pic.twitter.com/EnXJNiyPwK
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 31, 2025
Canty justified his absurd take by saying that we have to stop throwing the term “elite” around, saying that it should be reserved for players who win MVP awards, make All-Pro teams, or win Super Bowls, and said that Burrow’s only claim to fame is beating Patrick Mahomes four years ago en route to losing in the Super Bowl.
Canty believes there are gold, silver, and bronze medals in this argument, and the fourth-place guy doesn’t get a medal, or in this case, doesn’t get to be considered elite.
There is certainly an argument to be made that Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen are above Burrow in the QB hierarchy at the moment.
However, although Canty’s argument sounds fun and well-orchestrated, it is straight out of the First Take playbook.
This take is inflammatory enough to get people angry and talking during the lull of the Pro Bowl week, so major credit to Canty for riling the fans up with this one.
NEXT: Joe Burrow Sends A Clear Message About Ja'Marr Chase's Upcoming Contract
