Seldom to the Cincinnati Bengals pass up an opportunity to pinch a penny, and like it or not, Who Dey Nation needs to brace themselves for some Joe Burrow drama.
Not that Joe Brrr will be the cause of the drama himself. He's a model-citizen franchise quarterback who plays at an elite level when healthy. Problem is, he's working through a third mostly season-ending injury in his sixth NFL season.
Thanks to their hyperactive fire sale of a trade deadline, the New York Jets have all the assets necessary to offer Cincinnati the world for Burrow.
I was put on blast on social media for even entertaining such a notion as of yesterday. Big shout out to ESPN insider Adam Schefter for such sweet, sweet vindication a mere 24 hours later!!
Adam Schefter hints at QB 'arms race' where Joe Burrow would be the prized asset
I'm so tired of being so right all the time and so far ahead of the curve.
The four-letter network doesn't back down from the most outlandish debate topics, but this Get Up segment wasn't so out of left field. Adam Schefter brought up a great point about how the Jets are among multiple teams with the draft capital necessary to make a huge splash at the quarterback position.
Diehard Jets fan Mike Greenberg thinks it's ludicrous that his friends think Burrow can land in the Big Apple. Schefter's response was interesting to say the least.
"This now, as much as ever, feels like an arms race, with teams positioning themselves to make big moves for quarterbacks. Whoever they are, whenever they are. We saw this week that anybody can be had. We saw that teams are willing to go nuts to get their guy. So why is it going to stop there? [...] It's only going to increase."
Looking ahead to the off-season arms race. pic.twitter.com/SeWBGO9gsH
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 6, 2025
It's a bit of a winding, multifaceted discussion about other QBs like Trevor Lawrence. However, ex-Bengals wide receiver Andrew Hawkins notes that, when Cincinnati traded Carson Palmer once upon a time, that led to a sustainable era of Bengals success for a little over a decade.
When the conversation cut back to Schefter, he had some interesting things to say about Burrow in particular in a testy exchange with Dan Orlovsky. I shall transcribe!
"Schefty: How do you think Joe Burrow feels about the Bengals defense and the offensive line that's protecting him?
Orlovsky: If I were Joe Burrow, I would want out of Cincinnati. [...] That doesn't mean Cincinnati would be obliging to that.
Schefty: Hold on. That's where it gets interesting. Because if that's what he wants — and we have no idea what he wants. But if that's what he wants, it's over. It's OVER."
Hawkins said he was "frightened" by what was being said in that impassioned dialogue.
Joe Burrow loves Ohio and wants to make the best of the situation in Cincinnati. No Bengals fan wants to see him traded. This is not about the emotions of fans. This is about the business side of the NFL.
This Bengals organization could absolutely stockpile a bunch of young, cheap players and talk themselves into a more pedestrian, game manager type of QB to carry the offense.
Could history repeat itself? Carson Palmer was a No. 1 overall pick just like Burrow. He eventually forced his way out of town. The Bengals obliged and rolled with a more solid/unspectacular field general in second-round pick Andy Dalton.
You're telling me this couldn't happen again? Especially with the type of haul Cincinnati could get for Burrow? Come on. Let's not be naïve, y'all.