Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has expressed that he’s discontent with his football career and that has led many to speculate that a trade request is on the horizon. When you’ve made as many high profile
trades as the Rams have made under general manager Les Snead, including the biggest trade for a discontent quarterback in the history of the NFL, it’s inevitable that the Rams will become a part of the rumors too.
The moment that Matthew Stafford’s future in football becomes a question in any way, shape, or form, the Los Angeles Rams will move directly to the front of the line for Burrow and usurp all the weak franchises rumored to make sense for the quarterback right now. But forget the Raiders or Jets: If the Rams need a quarterback in 2026 and the Bengals are even 1% open to trading Burrow, the quarterback could very well be on a plane to L.A. by the next day.
Is Joe Burrow really that sad?
In a meeting with the press on Wednesday, Burrow expressed that he’s not having fun anymore.
“If I want to keep doing this, then what am I trying to do with myself?” Burrow told reporters. “And I have to have fun doing it. You know, if it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for? So, that’s the mindset.”
“Do I have fun playing?” Burrow asked while at the press conference. “I mean, how much? Winning’s always fun, but in general, was it as fun as before? No, I wouldn’t say it was that way.”
Fans couldn’t be blamed for sarcastically saying “boo-hoo” to a multi-millionaire athlete with a very successful football career. But even if Burrow is overreacting to a few bumps in the road with the Bengals over the last few years (mostly tied to his own inability to stay healthy) he’s not wrong about Cincinnati’s shortcomings when it comes to building a competitive roster. “People will write book about it” says Dan Orlovsky:
Of course the Bengals constantly have bad defenses too.
It’s just hard to believe that Burrow could be this mad at the Bengals after they overpaid Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for him. He’s really leaving Cincinnati out in the lurch if he asks to be traded right after the Bengals added $30-$40 million annual price tags on two receivers for him.
Burrow’s attitude here looks a little weak, but it’s hard to argue with results. He’s been good in almost every respect when he’s been healthy even in spite of being on bad teams. Chase says the narrative being pushed on Burrow right now is completely false, despite it not being a “media narrative” other than literally just quoting him:
Is he even trade-able?
Trading Burrow in 2026 would not even be that complicated, believe it or not. It would leave $56.5 million dead money on Cincinnati’s cap next year, which these days is chump change for trading a franchise QB with a contract.
They don’t save any cap space but they save $25 million in cash and a lot of cap space in 2027. The Bengals would have a lot of resources to build a team around a new quarterback in 2026-2027 and they already have the two receivers they want for him.
Yes, I would say Joe Burrow is able to be traded in 2026. But I don’t think he wants to be the next Carson Palmer and request a trade from the Bengals only to end up with the Raiders and Cardinals.
Are the Rams a legit destination?
They are if Matthew Stafford retires or wants to go have a different challenge. It was less than a year ago that Stafford openly requested the opportunity to talk to other teams. You can make up all sorts of excuses for why that happened — like that he’s just trying to get a raise in L.A. — and that’s fine if you want to do that. But it happened. It really happened.
Stafford might also want to play for the Rams for three more years, which isn’t that insane. He’s playing at a high level at age 37, which means that he can probably play at a high level at age 38. There’s no Burrow trade happening if Stafford is returning to the Rams in 2026, that much is clear.
But what if Stafford doesn’t?
Then that’s when the Rams potentially become the ONLY team that’s a real threat to trade for Joe Burrow.
They have the draft picks, the desire, and the ability to turn Burrow’s frown upside-down that no other franchise has in 2026.
All due respect to people who cover the Jets or the Raiders or the Cardinals but…be serious. You are no better to Joe Burrow than the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, those teams are WORSE for Burrow. What are you talking about?
The Rams are the team that Burrow would want to go to if the Rams have an opening for Burrow.
What would a trade cost?
SI made up a pretty awful trade offer from the Vikings to the Bengals for Burrow, if you ask me: A quarterback who NOBODY wants, two first round picks, a second, a third, and an edge rusher yet to show that he was worthy of being a first round pick. All to try and manufacture a reality where the Vikings get Burrow and keep Justin Jefferson.
I really doubt the Bengals would go for that.
J.J. McCarthy is a net-negative value. He’s a terrible QB with a guaranteed contract. He’s not going to interest the Bengals whatsoever. Dallas Turner has 8.5 sacks in two years. He’s not proven to be special whatsoever.
It’s a classic case of trying to trade players who have disappointed you for one who wouldn’t. Most NFL GMs aren’t that dumb. Most.
We know — immediately — that if the Rams got involved they could trump those picks without blinking an eye:
- Falcons 2026 first rounder (as good or better than Minnesota’s)
- Rams 2026 first rounder (more valuable than Minnesota’s 2027 first rounder)
- Rams 2027 first rounder
Snead could top this trade offer just by offering three first round picks in two years and we know that Snead is able to build a competitive roster without first round picks. Three first round picks for a QB is practically chump change to the Rams.
Of course, L.A. might need to go higher than this with more draft picks or players, but already they’re starting from a place of “we can afford this” by offering the three first round picks they have in 2026 and 2027. They practically gave up less to get Stafford.
The Rams could end up with a top-6 pick in the 2026 draft from the Falcons. Would they be better served drafting a QB themselves (if Stafford hints at retirement either next year or 2027) or using it to get Burrow? Would the Bengals be better served shopping Burrow to one of their AFC rivals like the Jets (Orlovsky stupidly suggests the Steelers, as if that’s ever going to happen) or getting him all the way the hell to the NFC?
That depends on how available Joe Burrow actually is in 2026, and if the Rams end up actually needing a quarterback (Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett are not answers), but it’s not hard to see the path we’re on right now: Give it 2 months, rumors of Burrow-to-LA are inevitable.
