The Cincinnati Bengals won't trade Joe Burrow anytime soon. However, even the former Heisman winner seems a bit fed up with the organization's current predicament. After spending big money on Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals let pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson walk in free agency to the rival Ravens. As Burrow's talent is wasted by the year, could a trade be on the horizon? And if so, where could he wind up? The Pittsburgh Steelers, as much as they need a quarterback, are an unlikely destination.
Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Pittsburgh Steelers face a critical need at quarterback after struggles with recent draft picks and veteran uncertainty.
- Steelers legend James Harrison revealed his own recruiting efforts to force a Joe Burrow trade to Pittsburgh.
- Acquiring this talent would require a massive trade package that could severely limit Pittsburgh's roster-building flexibility.
But don't tell Steelers legend James Harrison that. On his podcast 'Deebo and Joe', Harrison claimed he's spoken to Burrow about the possibility of playing in Pittsburgh.
What James Harrison said about Joe Burrow and the Steelers
"I've been conversating with him [Joe Burrow] here on a weekly, bi-weekly basis. We've been having conversations. I talked to him on the phone yesterday," Harrison said on a recent episode of theDeebo and Joe Podcast. "We've been talking about him. He's going to go up there and talk to Mr. Brown to see what he needs to do to do whatever he needs to do to maybe get into some black and gold."
Now, for the Bengals to remotely consider trading Burrow to a division rival, the All-Pro quarterback would essentially have to force their hand. That's not in Burrow's character, no matter how displeased he sounds in press conferences after every Bengals defeat. Not to mention, the Bengals front office would never hear the end of it from a fanbase that it just as frustrating at their quarterback. Burrow is from Ohio, and even went to Ohio State before transfering to LSU in college. Pittsburgh isn't in his blood like it might be Harrison's. But, it's easy to forget that prior to becoming a Steeler on draft day, Ben Roethlisberger was also born and raised in the state just west of Pennsylvania.
These are little more than offseason exercises when we have little more to talk about. The NFL Draft is in just a few days. The Steelers are unlikely to take a quarterback in the first round as they await Aaron Rodgers decision on whether he intends to play in 2026. If a trade were to occur, it wouldn't be this offseason. But let's say Harrison's recruiting efforts work. What would the Steelers have to offer to persuade the Bengals to make such a crushing mistake?
Grading a Steelers-Bengals trade for Joe Burrow
Would the Steelers make this trade for Joe Burrow?
The Steelers are desperate for a quarterback. Their last attempt at developing a QB – when they selected Kenny Pickett in the first round – was a reach. In many ways, Pittsburgh is still haunted by that decision, and it's why they've been stuck in veteran QB purgatory ever since.
However, the new regime seems different. Omar Khan wasn't the GM when the Steelers took Pickett. Mike McCarthy wasn't the head coach. You get the picture, right? There were plenty of reasons to complain about the McCarthy hire, but his selling point was that he's developed quarterbacks well in the past. Look no further than Rodgers for evidence of that. His system would be a natural fit for Burrow, who doesn't need that sort of development.
However, by trading three firsts and a second, the Steelers would handicap themselves and would be limited in the resources they can put around Burrow. While I do believe they'd make this trade if only due to the importance of the position, giving all that draft capital to Cincinnati wouldn't be easy.
Verdict: B-, but yes, Steelers would make this trade
Would the Bengals really trade Joe Burrow to the Steelers?
And here we have the breaking point. I love creating mock trades. If you've visited FanSided's NFL page in the past, odds are you've read a couple of them. Typically, these trades at least contain two teams that would be amendable to making a deal with one another. But trades between division rivals are rare, especially when they involve a quarterback as talented as Burrow.
If Burrow backed the Bengals into a corner, they'd have to at least consider a trade that gifted them this much capital in return. It's the quickest ticket to a rebuild without a franchise quarterback. However, Cincinnati would also have to grapple with watching Burrow play for their biggest rival in the same division for whatever number of years he has left.
If Burrow were made available, the Bengals would not have to trade him to his desired suitor. This isn't the NBA. NFL front offices have far more power to trade star players on their terms. As a result, four early-round picks wouldn't be enough to for Pittsburgh to pry Burrow from the Bengals.