The Minnesota Vikings are at the center of early offseason talk involving a speculative trade for Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow. Minnesota has a clear need at quarterback, but pursuing a star like Burrow would be a bold, high‑reward move.
Talk of this potential deal started on Jan. 22 when On SI’s Grant Cohn, a reporter covering the San Francisco 49ers, dismissed rumors about the Niners trading for Justin Jefferson. In that same video, he noted that the Vikings could be prepared to make a significant offer for Burrow.
“[The Vikings] want to get right back into contention,” Cohn said in a video posted on X. “They’re planning to offer J.J. McCarthy and Jonathan Greenard, and two first‑round picks to the Cincinnati Bengals for Joe Burrow. If the Bengals say no, then they might go out and get Kirk Cousins, bring him back.”
Nonetheless, Bengals players Chase Brown and Tee Higgins put out any talk about a Burrow trade while talking to CBS Sports.
“Joe’s not going anywhere,” Brown told CBS Sports in an article published on Jan. 27. “I think that was totally blown out of proportion. It was definitely a good talking point for people. … It gave the media a lot to talk about and probably made [Burrow’s] Twitter notifications go off, but Joe’s not going anywhere.”
Meanwhile, Higgins kept his response short and to the point.
“You heard it from my wing man right there,” Higgins added.
Bengals Insider Blunt About Joe Burrow Trade Rumor
Moreover, this comes after On SI’s Bengals beat reporter, James Rapien, gave a blunt take on the entire situation.
“I’m more likely to play for the Vikings in 2026 than Joe Burrow,” Rapien wrote on X on Jan. 23. “Thanks and have a goodnight!”
Vikings Urged to Find a QB This Offseason
Nonetheless, the Vikings do appear to have a QB in mind this offseason; it’s just what type of signal-caller they could be pursuing that is the question. This past season, J.J. McCarthy had a passer rating of 72.6 with 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games for the Vikings, per StatMuse.
Not dazzling numbers for the Michigan product, but it was Season 1 as the starter for Minnesota. On the Jan. 20 edition of “Up & Adams,” former Vikings pass-catcher Kyle Rudolph believes that Minnesota need to bring in a quarterback who can compete with McCarthy.
“I think they have to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with J.J. I think it’s a big mistake that they made last year, just handing over the reins and not having a veteran to compete with them,” Rudolph said. “There certainly were a few options, one of which is playing this weekend in the NFC Championship game. Another one, in Daniel Jones, was in the locker room last year.
“I’m a huge fan of and absolutely love his game. And this doesn’t mean that J.J. can’t be your quarterback of the future, but just handing him over a Super Bowl caliber roster and saying, ‘Okay, go for it,’ and not having a veteran that is in that room and competing against them, I ultimately think that you’re not setting him up for success.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bengals’ Joe Burrow Gets Strong Words Amid Vikings Trade Rumor appeared first on Heavy Sports.