Joe Burrow is Now the Bengals GM

Apparently the Bengals are willing to do anything they can to keep Joe Burrow happy, even though he's not officially a member of their franchise yet. That includes allowing him to influence personnel decisions. Reportedly.

According to Peter King, Burrow pulled a LeBron James when he met with the Bengals at the Scouting Combine last week, telling them he thinks they should keep former star WR A.J. Green in the mix. Listening to the man they plan to pick No. 1 in the upcoming draft, a report leaked yesterday saying the Bengals will give Green the franchise tag if they can't agree to a long-term deal.

Earlier this week Joe Burrow was asked about the possibility of playing with A.J. Green:

"A.J.'s been one of the best players at his position for a very long time. And, you know if I am lucky enough to get drafted No. 1 overall, I would like to have him on the roster." https://t.co/Jfi4ryIEJI
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) March 1, 2020

Ask and ye shall receive.

Of course, Burrow doesn't carry the same weight as LeBron, who has seemingly controlled the roster on every team he's played for since taking his talents to South Beach. But he is using the power he has now to pressure the Bengals into doing what he wants. He already admitted he has "leverage" and said he wants to go to a team that's "committed" to winning titles, both comments perceived as slights against the Bengals, who haven't won a playoff game since 1990.

Regardless of those comments, Burrow, coming off the greatest statistical passing season in college football history, wants as much help as he can get and is going to use the clout he has now to get it. That doesn't mean he'll always get his way with the Bengals, but it's clear they're already listening to a guy they hope can be their franchise quarterback moving forward.