Joe Burrow Says He 'Couldn't Be More Excited' About Bengals' Future

A premature end to his rookie season hasn't dampened Joe Burrow's enthusiasm for 2021. 

The Cincinnati Bengals star tweeted on Monday that he "couldn't be more excited" about the future of the organization:

Burrow's season ended on Nov. 22 against the Washington Football Team when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee when his leg got hit by multiple defensive players. 

The Bengals announced Burrow had successful surgery on Dec. 2. 

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra), the Bengals "are anticipating" a rehab period of 8-9 months for Burrow.

That timetable could have Burrow on track to return for Week 1 of the 2021 season, but head coach Zac Taylor told reporters last month he didn't want to speculate about that.

Burrow was in the midst of a terrific debut season prior to getting injured. The 24-year-old was completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 2,688 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for three TDs in 10 games.

The Bengals roster remains a mess, but the franchise was trending in the right direction with Burrow under center. As long as he can return at full strength next season, they have the potential to be a sleeper team in the AFC North. Cincinnati (4-11-1) owns the No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft.