If the Philadelphia Eagles want to shake up the NFL and change the fortunes of their franchise for the next decade, there’s a deal to be made.
This week brought a stunning moment from one of the NFL’s elite players when Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow expressed what seemed like utter frustration with his situation in Cincinnati, where contracts for himself (5 years, $275 million) and star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase (4 years, $161 million) and Tee Higgins (4 years, $115 million) have totally kneecapped a team loathe to spend money and on track to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” Burrow said on Wednesday, December 11. “I’ve been through a lot and if it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for? So that’s the mindset I’m trying to bring to the table.”
It’s a pretty telling sign Burrow might want out of Cincinnati, and if so the Eagles could approach with a trade similar to the deal made in 2021 when the Los Angeles Rams sent quarterback Jared Goff plus 2 first round picks and a second round pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The result was a Super Bowl in Stafford’s first season with the Rams.
The Eagles should simply copy/paste the Goff-Stafford trade with quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts taking over the Goff role and Burrow taking over the Stafford role to see if the Bengals and greedy, cheap owner Mike Brown might jump at getting rid of Burrow’s contract — Hurts is $20 million less at 5 years, $255 million, and getting a boatload of picks back in the process.
Ask yourself — who says “No” first?
Burrow’s Comments Could Have Many Teams Calling
Burrow’s comments could lead to a pretty large group of teams to come calling for the 2020 No. 1 overall pick and 2-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year, who is still considered one of the NFL’s Top 5 quarterbacks despite battling injuries year-in and year-out.
“From Burrow later added that several things were on his mind, from the team’s on-field performance to things in his private life,” ESPN’s Ben Baby wrote on December 11. “But he also confirmed that not winning has contributed to his current disposition. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter said teams around the NFL took notice of Burrow’s comments and are paying attention. Burrow has at least four years remaining on the $255 million contract extension he signed in 2023, one that also includes a no-trade clause.”
Hurts Coming Off Worst Game of Career
Hurts has been at his career-worst this season following a Super Bowl MVP performance in a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9 — a game defined not by how well Hurts played but more by how Philadelphia’s defense dominated the Chiefs.
In Week 14, Hurts had career highs of 5 turnovers and 4 interceptions in a 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in which the Eagles only scored 1 touchdown — on a 52-yard run by running back Saquon Barkley.
“Success and greatness aren’t linear,” Hurts said on December 10. “You have your ups, you have your downs. It’s about how you respond to it. I’ve got a lot of confidence in how we’ll respond and a lot of confidence in how it’ll go.”
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