LSU's Joe Burrow Won't Play in 2020 Senior Bowl Ahead of NFL Draft

On the heels of a historic, Heisman Trophy-winning 2019 season, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow will sit out the Senior Bowl leading up to the NFL draft.

Jim Nagy, Senior Bowl executive director and ESPN NFL draft analyst, tweeted Saturday that Burrow informed him he will skip the Jan. 25 showcase:

Jimmy Burrow, Joe's father, told Montreal's TSN 690 on Thursday that his son was still deciding whether to play in the annual exhibition.

The Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff will guide the South team in the Senior Bowl. The Bengals also own the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Nagy last week told B/R's Stick to Football podcast that Bengals coach Zac Taylor was assisting him in trying to convince Burrow to play in the game.

One potential issue is an injury. Burrow said on the Pardon My Take podcast on Tuesday (h/t Yahoo Sports' Jack Baer) that he "tore some cartilage in my ribs" on a hit by Clemson linebacker James Skalski in the second quarter of LSU's 42-25 victory Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Burrow is the presumptive top pick in the 2020 draft. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked the 23-year-old as the No. 2 player in the class behind Ohio State defensive end Chase Young.

In his second season at LSU, Burrow led the nation with 5,671 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns and a 76.3 completion percentage.