The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t had the season they hoped for in 2025. Injuries, inconsistency, and a tough AFC North have all contributed to a campaign that’s fallen well short of expectations. But their Week 16 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins offered a much-needed spark - not just for the team, but for Joe Burrow, the face of the franchise.
That dominant performance helped quiet some of the noise surrounding Burrow’s recent frustrations. But in today’s NFL, even a flicker of discontent from a star quarterback can send front offices around the league into a frenzy. And that’s exactly what’s happening now.
Teams are circling.
According to a report from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, multiple NFL teams are expected to explore the possibility of trading for Burrow this offseason. Let’s be clear: the Bengals have not indicated any desire to move him, and Burrow himself isn’t asking out. But that hasn’t stopped teams from preparing their pitches, just in case.
And it’s not hard to see why. Burrow is a proven franchise quarterback - the kind of player teams spend years trying to find.
He’s been to a Super Bowl, he’s led deep playoff runs, and when healthy, he’s among the top tier of signal-callers in the league. If there’s even a sliver of a chance he’s available, teams are going to call.
That’s how this league works.
But let’s pump the brakes.
A Burrow trade, while juicy in theory, is extremely unlikely. For Cincinnati, moving on from him would mean hitting the reset button on an era that brought them back to relevance.
It’s not just about the talent - it’s about what he represents to the franchise and the city. Trading him would be seismic.
And unless the Bengals were offered a historic package - think multiple first-round picks, top-tier players, and then some - it’s hard to imagine any scenario where they’d even entertain the idea.
And even if such a deal did materialize, Burrow has leverage. As a player with a long-term deal and significant influence, he could make any potential trade extremely complicated. He’s not just a name on a roster - he’s a cornerstone, and he knows it.
So what’s really going on here?
This feels more like offseason smoke than a fire. Similar to the annual whispers surrounding Lamar Jackson before his extension, this is the time of year when teams start dreaming big.
They look at struggling franchises, read into quotes, and start envisioning blockbuster trades that rarely happen. It’s part of the NFL calendar now - the rumor mill never stops spinning.
But Bengals fans shouldn’t lose sleep over this one. Yes, the season has been frustrating.
And yes, Burrow hasn’t been shy about expressing that frustration. But both sides remain committed to each other.
The Bengals know how rare it is to have a quarterback like Burrow, and Burrow knows what he means to the team and the city.
Unless something drastically changes, don’t expect this rumor to go anywhere beyond whispers and wishful thinking from quarterback-needy teams. A Burrow trade would be the headline of the offseason - and that’s exactly why it’s not going to happen.