When he is healthy, Joe Burrow is arguably the best quarterback to currently play football on the planet. Unfortunately, a myriad of severe injuries dating back to his rookie year have caused him to miss significant time, and thus, eliminating the Bengals from playoff contention in those seasons.
Upon returning from a toe injury and surgery this season, Burrow arrived earlier than expected with a bang, beating the Ravens on Thanksgiving Night soundly. But two subsequent rough losses led to Burrow making some eyebrow-raising comments about the “fun” element of the game.
The buzzards that are NFL executives are circling over Paycor Stadium, as recent reports have many NFL teams exploring an offseason trade situation with the Bengals and Burrow. CBS Sports Insider, Jonathan Jones, says the Bengals should expect to get a flurry of calls from a bunch of teams this winter and spring.
While this seems extremely unlikely for the Bengals to spring for a trade of their franchise quarterback, there are teams that have plenty of draft ammunition to make an appealing case. The Jets, in particular, hold a high pick in this year’s draft, as well as a myriad of other high picks from their fire sale before this year’s trade deadline.
New York is one of a few teams starving for a quarterback like Burrow, and their push will likely be a slew of picks, as well as the slant of Burrow’s missed time. But if we know the Bengals, they are often hesitant to part with their stars, particularly on others’ terms.
For a bit of history, Duke Tobin, the Bengals’ current de facto G.M., was hired in the 1999 offseason. He was, at a minimum, part of the decision to decline the New Orleans Saints’ offer of a slew of picks in that draft for the No. 3 overall pick Cincinnati held in that class. The decline led to their drafting of quarterback Akili Smith.
With much of the current brain trust seeming to remain in place in 2026 after a disappointing year, a blockbuster trade for Burrow once again seems unrealistic. However, that doesn’t mean Cincinnati shouldn’t expect Hail Mary-like calls for Burrow this offseason.
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