The New York Jets have been stuck in quarterback purgatory for far too long.
Nothing ever seems to work out for them, whether it’s drafting a first-round prospect, trading for a future Hall of Famer, or signing a veteran in free agency.
After the failure that was the Justin Fields experiment, the Jets are once again looking for their future quarterback.
Loaded with premier draft capital thanks to their trade deadline deals that shipped out Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, New York can be flexible in their route to finding their next signal caller.
Despite every mock draft predicting the Jets to take another swing at quarterback with their first-round selection, could they flip some of those picks for a proven veteran?
Just – maybe not a 39-year-old veteran.
Is a Joe Burrow-Bengals Divorce a Possibility?
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been in Cincy since they selected him No. 1 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
They’ve had some deep playoff runs together, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2021. But it’s all gone downhill since then.
Thanks to injuries and a sorry excuse for a defense, the Bengals have done nothing but regress since their last postseason appearance, an AFC Championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.
Would Cincinnati really cut ties with its franchise quarterback after a few down seasons?
Most likely not, but ESPN insider Adam Schefter didn’t close the door on Burrow potentially forcing the Bengals’ hand.
“How do you think Joe Burrow feels about the Bengals defense and the offensive line that’s protecting him?” Schefter asked on ESPN’s Get Up.
“That’s where it gets interesting, because if that’s what he wants, and we have no idea what he wants, but if that’s what he wants, it’s over. Any player, when they’re determined enough, if they want out, they’re gonna get out.”
The chances of a split between Burrow and the Bengals are slim, but not zero.
And if there’s even an inkling that the former LSU standout is available for trade, the New York Jets should be first in line with their boatload of draft picks to acquire him.
Do the Risks Outweigh the Rewards?
In the hypothetical world where the New York Jets are considering a trade for Joe Burrow, there would certainly be pros and cons to the discussion.
Connor Long of Jet X Factor believes the Jets aren’t a quarterback away from competing, and thinks those draft picks are better off in New York than shipped off to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Yes, the Jets have some intriguing pieces and a workable offensive foundation. But the idea that this team is somehow ‘a quarterback away’ from the promised land? That’s just not reality,” wrote Long.
“Right now, New York has precisely one reliable wideout in Garrett Wilson. The defensive front is among the weakest in the league, the linebackers run hot and cold, and the secondary is incredibly unproven.”
“The notion that any quarterback, even a great one, can walk into Florham Park, flip a switch, and drag this team into the postseason is flat-out unrealistic.”
To Long’s point, the Jets would be gutting their resources for the foreseeable future to facilitate a trade for Burrow.
Using the Deshaun Watson trade as a baseline, it could be three first-round picks, one third-round pick, and two fourth-round picks.
Of course, that trade didn’t work out for the Cleveland Browns, but what are the odds of Burrow regressing the same way Watson did?
While it’s certainly a steep price to pay, and a risky one at that, the Jets solving their long-standing quarterback issues may be the most priceless prospect in professional sports.
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