The Cincinnati Bengals were playing with fire when it came to Joe Burrow's future the past couple years. They blew his best season to date in 2024 with a poor defense and came up one win short of the playoffs. They dillydallied and didn't fix the porous offensive line in time for the 2025 campaign.
Burrow consequently suffered a debilitating turf toe injury and was limited to eight games. He wondered aloud in a press conference whether football was fun anymore.
That nipped the front office in the rear to do something, and do something they did. They added no fewer than three new veteran starters on defense, possibly four if you count Jonathan Allen's timeshare with B.J. Hill.
Sadly, trade speculation about Burrow won't die down until the Bengals make another deep run in the playoffs. It'd take a suitor moving the football equivalent of heaven and earth to get him according to the latest cutting-edge analysis. Or should I say blunt edge, because of how long-winded it is?
ESPN places Bengals QB Joe Burrow's trade value at 4 first-round picks
The alliteration-affirmed, peculiarly prolific Bill Barnwell has dumped his latest 50,000-word column on ESPN dot com, and thank goodness for the link shortcuts at the top. Or the Command + F function if your eyes gloss over those as you rapidly scroll to find your team.
Barnwell examines the trade value of all 32 teams' players who are worthy of being shipped away for at least one first-round pick. A unique angle. A uniquely lengthy elaboration, too, if you ask me. And you didn't, because this isn't an exchange of dialogue, but I'm telling you.
Anyway, let's peep some of what Billy Boy had to say about Burrow, and how his trade could compare to walking human disgrace Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson:
"Bengals fans worried about losing their star quarterback understandably don't want to hear about Burrow's trade value. If Burrow does try to force his way out of Cincinnati in the years to come, though, we might get a sense of what a truly elite quarterback in the prime of his career might actually land in terms of a trade return. [...] he is turning 30 in December. He has also had injuries affect his 2023 and 2025 campaigns, and he has a significant knee injury in his past. I have no doubt that somebody would be willing to offer a record-setting deal for Burrow if he was ever going to be traded, but four first-round picks and maybe a Day 3 pick feels like it would be the right return given what Watson landed the Texans.
I cut around a bunch of bloviating copy about Watson's backstory, mostly because I can't stand to give the guy any coverage if it's possible. However, the Browns' worst trade in NFL history does have some relevance to Burrow's market.
The concerns about Burrow are purely medical. When he's on the field, he's the best quarterback in the world in my humble opinion. Some NFL coaches, scouts, and/or executives — or at least one — had Joe Shiesty as the No. 1 QB in the sport in ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler's latest survey, too.
When I say the Bengals can't cave at any cost, I don't just mean to anyone who tries to lure them with a Godfather trade offer for Burrow. I mean that they can't position themselves to fuel the trade chatter in the first place.
This offseason was a great first step to veer away from the Burrow eventual trade discourse, yet it's only one step. If things go sideways this season, heads need to roll somewhere. Duke Tobin or Zac Taylor or both must be fired if the Bengals miss the playoffs. The front office must pull out every conceivable stop to bolster the roster more aggressively than ever before.
Because if the Bengals' latest phenomenal offseason is an aberration, and they revert back to their more conservative ways, unless they win a Super Bowl in the next two years, Burrow will be looking for a way out eventually.
So for as much fun as I made of Bill Barnwell's penchant for uber-long columns, he does have a point. No Bengals fan wants to hear about Burrow trade talk. That's why it's imperative for them to execute this year in particular.
Furthermore, four first-round picks don't make up for the intangibles Burrow brings to an organization. Plus, the Bengals have whiffed on many of their first-rounders in recent years, or at least they've taken too long to develop into impactful players. Hence why they traded the 10th overall pick for Lawrence in the 2026 draft. Well done there!
...But again, it's time to execute.
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