Although two season-altering injuries to Joe Burrow are largely to blame for the Cincinnati Bengals missing the last three NFL postseasons, make no mistake about it: their defense is the main reason.
Maybe that's why Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, fresh off vibing with their beloved, HEALTHY quarterback at the Pro Bowl Games, were feeling themselves enough to publicly pitch players on otehr teams to come to Cincinnati.
Like yeah, it's gotten to that point. My high-key hope is that, once the season starts, if the Bengals haven't made a splashy move to upgrade the defense, Ja'Marr and Tee start yelling for change on their brand-new podcast. Please. Please, gents. Do it for Joe. For all of us.
Since free agency has yet to begin, there's still time for the Bengals front office to not disappoint Ja'Marr, Tee, Joe, and the fanbase at large. Seems like Cincinnati's entire Big Three are keen to be catalysts for real organizational change, however.
Bengals would do well to listen to their superstar wide receivers about who to shop for on NFL trade market
Kay Adams is a noted Bengals supporter. We salute her as a collective Who Dey Nation.
I came up with my own outlandish, never-gonna-happen Joe Burrow-Maxx Crosby trade once news broke that Maxx wanted out from the Las Vegas Raiders. If the compensation seems to favor the Bengals too much, first of all, that's by design.
...Secondly, it'd take a Godfather offer to get Cincinnati to even consider a deal. Three firsts, two seconds, and three third-round picks plus Crosby would get it done.
And finally, the Raiders are the Raiders. They're on their fifth full-time GM since December 2018. Among their 20 first- through third-round picks since 2019 not named Brock Bowers, they've had precisely zero hits while those players were still rocking the Silver and Black.
But I digress. Burrow ain't gonna be part of a Maxx Crosby trade package in this timeline we live in, where stranger things have happened. Ja'Marr stumped for a Crosby trade, while Tee gassed up the possibility of Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons:
Ja'Marr and Tee do some Pro Bowl recruiting... Who do they want in Cincy?
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 4, 2026
Jeffery Simmons and Maxx Crosby 👀@Real10jayy__ | @teehiggins5 | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/89iDW7xXW5
That's all you really need to know. I just don't see a scenario where the Bengals would be willing to take on Crosby's contract. Nor do I see a scenario where the Titans would even think about trading Simmons to Cincinnati.
Trey Hendrickson is a bit of an X-factor here. If the Bengals could figure out a way to franchise tag him and trade him very quickly, doing so in a deal for Crosby or Simmons would be ideal.
The problem is, both the Bengals and Hendrickson have burned the bridge between them. Neither side would be willing to do the other one a favor. Cincinnati has no leverage whatsoever in trade talks. Hendrickson's market value on a multi-year deal won't match the franchise tag. Why wouldn't any of his suitors just wait it out?
New Titans head coach Robert Saleh won't want to let go of Simmons. Saleh is a defensive guy who leans on his four down linemen to make his scheme go. Simmons is as dominant of a defensive tackle as there is in the sport. He's a reigning first-team All Pro and just had 11 sacks in 2025.
Tennessee has almost $105 million in salary cap space for 2026 as things stand now. They could draft a top edge rusher with the No. 4 overall pick, and hang onto Simmons, and sign the best defensive end on the open market.
Unless the Bengals serve up the 10th pick in this year's draft, or at least two Day 2 selections, there's a zero point zero chance the Titans are moving off the man affectionately known as "Big Jeff."
Other real contenders will be more aggressive for Crosby than Cincinnati. That stone-cold reality is as inevitable as Thanos wasn't in Avengers: Endgame.
Speaking of superhero-esque NFL rosters, the team that beat the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, the Los Angeles Rams? You can bet they'll be targeting Crosby. They're armed with two first-round picks in this year's draft and must be fuming after a four-point loss at Seattle in the NFC Championship Game.
The Rams let Sam Darnold absolutely shred them. Funnily enough, Seattle's play-caller, Klint Kubiak, will be coaching whomever the Raiders get in exchange for Crosby in an eventual trade.
For that matter, why wouldn't the Seahawks sign up for some of Maxx? Boye Mafe is hitting the open market. DeMarcus Lawrence turns 34 in April. Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall are due for free agency in 2027.
In a crowded NFC West division, Seattle could cement its supremacy for the foreseeable future by landing Crosby. GM John Schneider is on a heater. He has the assets and cap room to get it done.
I love what Tee and Ja'Marr are preaching about Crosby and Simmons. Alas, landing either of them feels like such long shot.