A Joe Burrow Trade: The Probable Landing Spots

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks onto the field. © Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
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Joe Burrow spoke to reporters this week and flatly told them he wanted to find happiness again — both on the field and in his personal life. Onlookers compared his tone to Andrew Luck’s before Luck abruptly retired in 2019, which also sounded alarm bells across the business. A more realistic resolution than outright retirement would be a trade, and teams will certainly inquire.

From Tampa Bay to Minnesota, several teams could talk themselves into reshaping their future around Joe Burrow if he truly became available, and a few stand out above the rest.

So, to get the world thinking, Minnesota Vikings fans included, here’s a list of Burrow trade destinations, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = top Burrow spot if he requests a trade)

Where Joe Burrow Could Land if the Bengals Are Forced to Trade Him

Where might Joe Cool go if he asks for a trade?

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Few dare to say this out loud: Baker Mayfield isn’t very good, at least not as of late. Of 32 qualifying quarterbacks this season, Mayfield ranks 23rd in the league per EPA+CPOE. His heroism from the first few weeks has fallen off a cliff, his reclamation story paused.

There’s a world where the Buccaneers give up on him, preferring a sure thing in Burrow if Burrow hits the trade block.

6. New York Jets

The Jets really, really, really need a quarterback, so why are they so low on this list? The conference.

If Burrow asks for a trade, the Bengals should or will prefer to trade him to the NFC. That way, they won’t have to worry about him in the postseason for the next decade.

New York probably needs a quarterback more than any team on this ledger, but the odds could be long for Cincinnati to do AFC-on-AFC business — if Burrow asks for a trade in the first place.

5. Las Vegas Raiders

Edit-copy-paste from the Jets to the Raiders. Geno Smith is decent some of the time, but compared to his peers, he’s just not productive and assuredly is not a franchise quarterback solution for the long haul.

There’s a reason the Seattle Seahawks kicked him out.

4. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are on the brink of a divorce from Kyler Murray, seemingly “soft benching” him a few weeks ago. Murray has run the show in Arizona for seven seasons, and that experiment has amounted to zero playoff wins.

It’s time for something new in the dessert.

The Cardinals could swing for the fences with Burrow, pairing him with Marvin Harrison Jr., a combination that could feast.

3. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons would place in the Top 2 if not for Kirk Cousins’ contract. Michael Penix Jr. tore his ACL a couple of weeks ago, and that recovery will bleed into the 2026 regular season. Cousins performed fantastically on Thursday Night Football in Week 15, at least by a 37-year-old’s standards, but he’s probably not the QB1 solution in 2026 while Penix Jr. heals.

Penix Jr. is too injury-prone, and Cousins is too old for Atlanta not to poke around the Burrow sweepstakes, if applicable.

It’s worth noting that Atlanta will incur a $35 million dead cap hit if it cuts Cousins before June 1st, 2026. That’s not nothing, even if the Falcons rarely take any heat for signing him to a massive contract back in the spring of 2024.

2. Los Angeles Rams

Picture this: Matthew Stafford retires in January or February. The Rams will need a quarterback, and instead of embarking on the draft for a rookie, Sean McVay asks his boss to sell the farm to Cincinnati for Burrow. It’s happened before — the Rams wrapping their arms around a “screw them “picks” agenda, though the t-shirts use a different word.

Stafford retires, and Les Snead dangles three 1st-Rounders and change in front of Cincinnati. The Bengals accept, pad the next few drafts, and draft a quarterback like LaNorris Sellers in April.

McVay cooks with Burrow for the next 5-10 years, pressing the reset button on the Stafford clock that worked so well in Tinseltown.

1. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings do not top the list just because the name of this website is VikingsTerritory.com. It’s deeper than that if one thinks objectively: Kevin O’Connell’s version of Matthew Stafford via Sean McVay.

For example, McVay could not get the most out of Jared Goff when it was all said and done. Perhaps that’s the arrangement with O’Connell and McCarthy.

Then, Justin Jefferson plays for the Vikings, and he + Burrow won the chip together at LSU six years ago. Jefferson has been frustrated lately by Minnesota’s output. The top method in the world to fix that is to trade for Burrow, appease Jefferson, and set the Vikings on a productive course for the next decade.

If Burrow requests a trade, Minnesota is the top destination. It also helps that the Vikings are not in the AFC.

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