The Cincinnati Bengals don't seem intent on trading Joe Burrow any time soon. Burrow himself has said he can't envision playing for another team in 2026 — but stopped short of confirming anything beyond that.
Burrow is super careful with what he says to the general public. Not that you want to look too far into the future in any given life scenario, lest you have an existential crisis, but Joe Brrr didn't exactly confirm his commitment to Cincinnati past next season.
And why would he? If the Bengals can't do enough around him and miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year, should it be a surprise if he wants out?
Trading Burrow would make some sense as things stand right now. Do I want it to happen? NO!!! But the latest rumors suggest it won't happen anyway, so let's dive in.
Stars are in alignment for Bengals to pull off Joe Burrow trade, but the timing is all wrong
CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones dropped the latest intel on a blockbuster Burrow-Bengals trade, and at this point, it's a nonstarter on Cincinnati's end. Plus, Joey Franchise has made no declarations that he wants out as of yet.
"Sources from multiple teams tell CBS Sports they anticipate several teams will attempt a pursuit of trading for Burrow in the offseason. [...] 'They all should,' said one source familiar with the Bengals and Burrow. 'But the Bengals aren't dealing him, and he doesn't want to leave.'"
Other bits from Jones' sources include one AFC exec opining that it'd take a team trading an entire draft class for the rights to Burrow, a la what the Saints once did for Ricky Williams. Jones sees the "floor" for a trade being what Cleveland gave up for Deshaun Watson: three first-round picks, two second-round picks, and a third.
I feel like there's one obvious destination among several who've been floated: The Las Vegas Raiders.
If Joe Burrow goes anywhere, watch for the Raiders.
— Matt Fitzgerald (@MattFitz_gerald) December 11, 2025
- High draft pick
- Maxx Crosby trade chip
- Post trade cap space: ~$119 million
- Maxx out, Trey Hendrickson in
- No home game income tax + Burrow = prime new head coach/FA destination + swift rebuildpic.twitter.com/0IO5gkvmIh
Las Vegas is on perpetually thin ice with All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby. The team has a great chance at earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Say the Raiders offer Crosby and all the compensation included in the aforementioned Browns trade for Watson. Wouldn't that be plenty to at least get the Bengals thinking about it?
Crosby's contract works very well for Cincinnati and its historic skittishness at guaranteeing lots of money to superstars.
Maxx Crosby contract is extremely tradable. Only $5M dead on the Raiders side. Inheriting team has $30M guaranteed in 2026, which is no problem. The rest of the contract is just $28M team options.
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) December 26, 2025
Both teams incentivized to move on. Gone. pic.twitter.com/Cd6oOTk586
Crosby is an all-around upgrade over Trey Hendrickson, who could be franchise tagged this offseason but is more likely to be let loose on the open market. Or so I hope. I can't stand the thought of another contract negotiating standoff.
The thing is, it'd ding the Bengals about $8.5 million in 2026 cap space to trade Burrow this offseason. For that reason alone, they won't do it, never mind how much value and earnings potential he brings to the franchise on his own.
But what if this trade did happen? Cincinnati would draft Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall to "reset the clock" on a lucrative QB contract. Draft picks galore for the next few years to build out the rest of a flawed roster, either via veteran trades or premier draft prospects.
As for the Raiders, imagine how much of a hard sell they could give, say, free-agent receivers George Pickens or Alec Pierce to come play in Vegas?
Imagine Burrow throwing the rock to those explosive dudes and Brock Bowers. Somebody like Braden Smith to fortify the offensive line wouldn't be far behind, I'd imagine.
Then of course, Hendrickson would be a ready-made Crosby replacement. He'd see more of his money thanks to Nevada's absence of an income tax. The Raiders would have the cash to make it all happen.
I mean shoot, with how well Malik Willis is playing for the Packers, if I were Raiders GM John Spytek, I'd do all the above moves minus the Burrow-Crosby swap, sign Willis, and be off to the races.
So no, Burrow to the Raiders ain't gonna happen. A trade in general isn't business-savvy from Cincinnati's perspective until 2027, or from Joe Shiesty's. The parties need one more season of information to determine how to proceed. If Burrow is hurt again, a trade feels more likely. If Burrow plays well and the Bengals miss the playoffs again, he could very well demand a trade.