Coming off a historic season, former LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow cemented his status as a franchise-caliber quarterback and the likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. While plenty of teams are trying to convince the Cincinnati Bengals to trade down, many around the NFL now expect the Bengals to stay put.
According to Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman, executives around the league believe at least five teams will keep making a push to trade with the Bengals. As of now, barring a team offering nearly their entire draft, league executives expect Cincinnati to make Burrow their quarterback of the future.
Rumors swirled for weeks early in the offseason that Burrow could pull an Eli Manning and refuse to play for the Bengals. But Burrow promptly squashed that at the NFL Combine, making it clear he’d love to play for the Bengals.
The Bengals have reportedly been on Burrow for months, viewing him as the future face of their franchise. It’s part of the reason they placed the franchise tag on star receiver A.J. Green and spent aggressively in free agency.
Burrow dominated this past season at LSU, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Tigers to a national title. Some NFL scouts have even compared him to one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, but Burrow has pushed back on lofty comparisons.
Teams like the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers have been mentioned for potential blockbuster trades to land Burrow. However, unless any of the teams are willing to overpay, the Bengals will be the team drafting Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.