A former NFL player once told me that in the league, if something makes too much sense, it’s never going to happen.
It feels like that’s the exact situation we have on our hands with a potential Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to the Minnesota Vikings blockbuster trade.
Now listen. We have to be fair and state the facts. Burrow hasn’t publicly or privately demanded a trade out of Cincinnati. Speculation about an early Andrew Luck adjacent retirement has been driven exclusively by fans due to Burrow’s injury history.
But can’t we all admit that his media availability this week felt a bit strange?
While the Bengals flounder through yet another lost season due to yet another bad defense and yet another injury to their superstar quarterback, it’s Burrow himself that’s speaking out in frustration.
“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” Burrow said. “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 missed nine games due to a severe case of turf toe. Unfortunately, his return was too late for the Bengals, who find themselves chasing NFL Draft order versus playoff seeding.
Popular ESPN sports talker Stephen A. Smith admitted this week that Burrow’s remarks about no longer having fun showcase his first sign of unhappiness in Cincinnati.
Surely, the sixth-year quarterback understands his current situation.
He’s one of the highest-paid passers in the sport, deservedly so. But so are his top two wide receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bengals are notoriously cheap and went out of their way to help their franchise quarterback at the expense of offensive line and defensive support.
With head coach Zac Taylor hopefully on the way out of town, a new head coach will be under immense pressure to win and click with Burrow, who still wants to win.
If that doesn’t happen, the Vikings make a ton of sense as a trade partner.
Just a year ago, the Vikings were one of the most feared teams in the NFC. But their gamble on first-year starter J.J. McCarthy has blown up dramatically. It’s clear the young quarterback is holding back the rest of the roster, including Burrow’s LSU teammate, Justin Jefferson.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah worked under Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry, who notoriously traded three first-round draft picks for Deshaun Watson.
While some would argue that trade should serve as a caution against a massive trade for a superstar quarterback, both general managers have remained aggressive following that mistake.
After all, quarterback is the most important position in sports. If a big swing backfires, you end up right back in the NFL Draft to find another one.
The AFC North isn’t going anywhere. The Pittsburgh Steelers have somehow remained relevant all of these years after Ben Roethlisberger retired. They just find ways to win. The same could be said for the Baltimore Ravens, who are certainly having a down year, but still have Lamar Jackson and a stellar defense. A reset in Cincy could make sense, especially if their most-expensive player is fed up.
On the flip side, the NFC North is lethal. In order to compete with Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers or Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions, you’re going to need an elite quarterback. McCarthy has not shown any signs of being that.
File this trade idea in your back pocket. Burrow is a competitor. It’s hard to imagine a world where he just walks away from the game of football.
A trade to a better situation would be much more likely if his frustration ever boils over.
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