Joe Burrow’s long-term injury leaves the Bengals with a tough decision, ‘go trade for…’

Backup quarterback Jake Browning managed to guide the Cincinnati Bengals to an improbable victory, but the damage was done, and now Burrow will miss at least the next 11 games.

After a 2-0 start, the Bengals are in an awkward position of having season prospects but stuck without their franchise quarterback. NFL fans have suggested a solution, and he’s currently at the New York Giants.

NFL fans call for the Cincinnati Bengals to trade for Jameis Winston after Joe Burrow injury

The response to Joe Burrow’s injury has been fairly unanimous on social media: NFL fans believe that the best call from here is to trade for Jameis Winston.

Winston is the third-string quarterback at the Giants currently behind Russell Wilson and exciting rookie Jaxson Dart, but his impact on the sidelines is immeasurable.

The risk and reward with Winston is something that most NFL fans want the Bengals to test out, primarily to see him throw it to JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Giants beat writer Pat Leonard said as much: “I’m not wishing Jameis out of New York. He is providing value to this #Giants team even while off the field.

“But… Jameis throwing to Chase and Higgins would be [fire emoji].”

Jameis Winston is the ideal person to bring in, but he’s not a free agent, and the Bengals would have to make a fairly decent trade to get him, as he’s contracted through 2026.

Fans around the league are seeing the benefit from an entertainment and Fantasy Football standpoint, but he’s likely the best feasible option the Bengals could pursue.

Cincinnati Bengals could explore trading for Kirk Cousins or stick with Jake Browning

The uncertainty at the Giants over their quarterbacks, primarily due to the potential of Jaxson Dart, is likely the main stumbling block to a deal happening.

Winston is signed through to the 2026 season, while the Giants only signed Russell Wilson on a one-year deal, so it’s clear some form of guidance and progression plan is in place.

With that in mind, the Bengals could explore trading for Kirk Cousins, provided the Atlanta Falcons take a chunk of his salary.

Cousins is on a fairly massive contract just to sit behind Michael Penix Jr., and he could be the perfect stopgap for this offense to carry them into the playoffs.

It does feel unlikely, however, that the Bengals would pay much at all for a replacement on a short-term deal.

All roads lead to Jake Browning, who threw three interceptions but still managed to win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, manning the helm for the rest of the season.