Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow turned plenty of heads this month when he revealed he wasn’t happy with his current situation.
The Bengals enjoyed a run to the Super Bowl during the 2021 season and a trip to the AFC Championship in 2022. Unfortunately, they haven’t been back to the playoffs since then. To make matters worse, their postseason drought will linger for at least another year.
“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” Burrow said after a 39-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills this month. “I’ve been through a lot and if it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for? So that’s the mindset I’m trying to bring to the table.”
Burrow, a two-time Comeback Player of the Year, has dealt with a ton of injuries since entering the NFL in 2020. Earlier this year, a turf toe injury kept him off the field for over two months. He reminded fans in Week 16 that he’s still capable of playing at an MVP level, throwing for 309 yards with four touchdowns in a win over the Miami Dolphins.
Even though Burrow seems frustrated, CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones reported that Cincinnati is unlikely to trade him.
“Burrow said two weeks ago he wasn’t having any fun playing football and was frustrated by everything,” Jones wrote. “Sources explained then he was venting because he’s not winning after making yet another injury comeback, but that he is not contemplating retirement or moving on from Cincinnati.”
What would it take to land Burrow?
An AFC executive told CBS Sports that it’d take a “Ricky Williams-type trade” for the Bengals to move on from Burrow.
The New Orleans Saints traded all six of their picks in the 1999 NFL Draft just so they can select Ricky Williams from Texas. They also included their 2000 first-round pick and 2000 third-round pick in the deal.
While a Ricky Williams-type trade package might seem unrealistic, the Bengals would probably want three first-round picks in order to move on from Burrow.
“Probably depends on if a team has a young QB or players to offer but imagine they won’t even answer the phone if you don’t have at least two first-round picks plus more,” an NFC front office exec told Jones. “Maybe even three if you’re not doing it with any players involved.”
It seems highly unlikely the Bengals will trade away Burrow, who is under contract through the 2029 season.
If teams want the Bengals to at least entertain their trade calls, they’ll have to be bold with their offers.
