There's a rumor going around that the Cincinnati Bengals will be the visiting team in the NFL's first-ever game in Madrid, Spain next season. The Bengals would play the Miami Dolphins, who've already been officially tabbed as the host club for the game.
Said rumor has not only caught Joe Burrow's attention, but also his desire.
Burrow took to his Instagram story Tuesday afternoon, captioning a black screen, "Bengals v. Dolphins in Madrid? Please be true"
The rumor began when Madrid's mayor allegedly leaked that the Bengals would be the team to play the Dolphins on November 16 of this year. The hubbub eventually reached Burrow, who clearly wants to take a trip to Spain and play a game overseas.
This would be the first time the Bengals play an international contest since 2019 when they faced the Los Angeles Rams. This was when Cincinnati was in the process of earning the No. 1 overall pick, which would eventually be used on Burrow the following April.
Burrow has never played outside the United States despite the Bengals rising in popularity since his drafting and subsequent ascension to stardom. Even if they aren't the team to play the Dolphins in Spain, it won't be long before that changes.
This would be an ideal game for the Bengals to travel across the pond. Cincinnati is set to play a road game against Miami this season, so instead of it being a true away game in South Florida in front of a true home crowd, both teams will be playing in what's effectively a neutral site. In addition, AFC teams will have nine home games and eight road games this season, so this would create and even great imbalance favoring the Bengals if their eighth road matchup wasn't in a genuine road environment.
Needless to say, if this rumor is not true, Burrow would be upset. I'd think plenty of Bengals fans would join him in feeling that way.
