NFL executive, scout make predictions about Joe Burrow possibly leaving Bengals

Whispers suggesting that quarterback Joe Burrow could look to leave the Cincinnati Bengals next offseason grew noticeably louder after he publicly acknowledged this past December that he needed "to have fun [playing] again." 

Burrow has since sang different tunes on multiple occasions over the first five months of 2026. For an article published on Thursday, one unnamed AFC executive who spoke with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN predicted that Burrow won't be going anywhere anytime soon. 

Have the Bengals already made a Joe Burrow decision for 2027?

"I just don't see them ever moving him," the executive said about the Bengals' handling of Burrow. "I think all of the posturing on his end was to make sure they were doing what they could to make the team better around him. He's still too young and too good for them to move on."

While Burrow signed a five-year, $275M extension in September 2023, recent history shows that unhappy players under contract can find new homes during the offseason. Perhaps most notably as it pertains to Burrow's future, the Bengals were able to acquire defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II from the New York Giants ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft because Lawrence was displeased with his situation in New York. Additionally, the Bengals made other moves to bolster their defense after that unit was unquestionably a weakness for the club last season. 

Bengals can quiet the Joe Burrow trade noise in one big way

"If the Bengals have a good season, that will quiet the noise around Burrow," one AFC scout told Fowler. "But even if they don't, I think the talk is just noise."

Whether or not the Bengals have a good season from September through January (or February) will likely depend on Burrow's ability to stay healthy for more than a handful of games. He suffered a serious toe injury in Week 2 of the 2025 campaign that kept him sidelined until Week 13, and he does have a concerning history of physical setbacks. For what it's worth, the 2025 Bengals improved to 2-0 on the same day that Burrow hurt his toe this past September.