Joe Burrow is back.
The Bengals quarterback is set to make his highly anticipated return Thursday against the Ravens in what's expected to be a thrilling AFC North Thanksgiving Day showdown. The source? Himself.
After Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Monday that he "anticipates" Burrow will suit up for the game, Burrow took to social media to confirm his return. And Burrow being Burrow had to do it in style: by sharing a photo of his now-iconic selfie in a Cavaliers LeBron James jersey.
The photo originated on Snapchat, when Burrow allegedly took a picture of himself in his Cavaliers jersey upon finding out that LeBron James was returning home to Cleveland in 2014. Burrow wrote a simple caption for the photo: "He's back."
Those two words now apply to Burrow as he prepares for his first NFL action since suffering a turf toe injury in Week 2.
Joe Burrow is indeed, back. He made it official on Instagram⬇️ pic.twitter.com/c3WIOjA6AY
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) November 24, 2025
This season, Burrow missed nine games in total due to injury, with Cincinnati going 1-8 in that span. The franchise traded for veteran Joe Flacco hoping that he could keep the Bengals' season afloat by the time Burrow returned, but Flacco ended up going 1-5 as starter, including Sunday's loss to the Patriots.
Burrow admittedly has an uphill battle ahead of him to lead the 3-8 Bengals to a postseason berth this winter and will face his first test on Thursday against the current AFC North leaders. Kickoff for Bengals-Ravens is 8:20 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joe Burrow Announces Bengals Return With Perfect Photo on Instagram.
