CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had a chance to end the narratives that have surrounded him and the team all season long.

The speculation has ramped up over the past 10 days. Is Burrow sad? Is he unhappy in Cincinnati? Is he going to retire early?

The 29-year-old signal-caller put an end to one narrative. He isn’t the next Andrew Luck.

“I’m going to be playing for a long time,” Burrow said. “I expect to play for a long time and I expect to play well and consistently great for a long time.”

Burrow also left the door cracked for him to play elsewhere in the future. Does he think he could have a new team next year?

“I can’t see that. No,” Burrow said.

Has he thought about not being the quarterback in Cincinnati at some point in his NFL career?

“You think about a lot of things,” Burrow said. “A lot of crazy things happen every year. Micah Parsons got traded right before the season. That’s something I hadn’t seen in a long time in the NFL. So crazy things can happen.”

That first line is one that will get plenty of attention this week and into the offseason.

“You think about a lot of things.”

It’s fair to mention that he used the same line when asked about retirement.

“I mean you think about it, but you think about a lot of different things in your life just like everybody does,” Burrow said when asked about not playing. “You think about all different possibilities that could happen.”

The difference is he ended that statement with a definitive answer: “I’m going to be playing for a long time. I expect to play for a long time and I expect to play well and consistently great for a long time.”

Burrow didn’t do the same thing with the question about his future in Cincinnati. Instead, he talked about how crazy the NFL is and how you never know what’s going to happen.

One thing is certain: He’s disgusted with three-straight losing seasons and wants to win. It’s up to him and the Bengals to have successful offseason so they aren’t in this position next year.