Back in 2020, the Miami Dolphins were ready to swing big-really big. According to a report, Miami offered the Cincinnati Bengals four first-round picks in a bold attempt to move up and grab the No. 1 overall selection in the NFL Draft.
Their target? None other than LSU’s Heisman-winning quarterback, Joe Burrow.
But Cincinnati wasn’t interested-not even a little. The Bengals reportedly shut down the conversation before it could even get started.
No counteroffer, no back-and-forth. Just a hard no.
Fast forward to now, and that decision has aged pretty well for the Bengals. Burrow has become the face of the franchise, leading Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance and solidifying himself as one of the league’s elite quarterbacks-when healthy. Meanwhile, the Dolphins' quarterback journey has taken a few more twists and turns.
Miami ultimately stayed put and selected Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in that same 2020 draft. Tua has had his moments in South Florida, flashing the accuracy and poise that made him a star at Alabama. But inconsistency and injuries have kept the door open for competition-and now, in Week 16 of the 2025 season, that door has swung wide open.
Enter Quinn Ewers.
The Dolphins’ seventh-round pick out of Texas in the 2025 draft is set to make his first NFL start this week against-yes, you guessed it-the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s a full-circle moment that adds another layer of intrigue to an already high-stakes matchup at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami made the decision to bench Tagovailoa in favor of Ewers, signaling a potential shift in the team’s quarterback plans. Whether this is a one-week experiment or the beginning of a new chapter remains to be seen, but the timing couldn’t be more compelling. The Dolphins are turning to a rookie signal-caller against the very team they once tried to trade the farm for-just to draft their own version of a franchise QB.
Now, five years after that trade offer was shut down, we’re watching the ripple effects play out in real time. The Bengals have their guy.
The Dolphins are still searching. And on Sunday, two teams with very different quarterback paths will meet on the same field-one led by the player they wouldn’t give up, the other by a rookie trying to prove he belongs.