Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback went through a season he’d rather forget. Joe Burrow missed half the year dealing with turf toe and a ligament issue, and when he finally made it back, he was hampered by playing on a team with one of the league’s worst defenses. That unfortunate blend has been enough to kick up trade chatter, which only got louder when insider Albert Breer chimed in.

“I think teams are gonna call Cincinnati on Joe Burrow,” Breer said on the Dan Patrick Show.

“[Fernando Mendoza] is going to be a Las Vegas Raider. There’s a massive drop-off; there’s not another quarterback available in this year’s class. Even Mendoza isn’t seen the way Caleb, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye were. I think Mendoza would’ve been the 4th QB in that class. Because of that, teams are going to be a little more creative,” Breer added.

There just isn’t much to get excited about on the quarterback market. This draft class lacks obvious franchise guys. Mendoza has upside, sure, but he’s widely expected to land with the Las Vegas Raiders. The truly untouchable quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes aren’t even part of the conversation. So where does that leave teams desperate for an answer under center?

According to Breer, it leaves them at least asking about someone like Burrow. When he’s healthy, he’s a top-five quarterback. And unlike Allen or Mahomes, he’s not completely immune to trade speculation. Even in a season cut in half, Burrow still threw for 1,809 yards and 17 touchdowns in just eight games.

To be clear, Burrow hasn’t publicly demanded anything. He understands his place in Cincinnati and what he means to that franchise and fan base. He’s been a Bengal since the day they drafted him in 2020. Missing the postseason stings, but that alone doesn’t mean he’s looking for the exit.

“A lot of crazy things happen every year,” Burrow said when asked about the idea of playing for another team.

He also admitted he isn’t having fun the way he once did. These little comments surely do crack the door open. And apparently, there’s already one $6.28 billion franchise that might be knocking on that door.

The Vikings might make a play for Joe Burrow

There’s been a lot of churn inside the Minnesota Vikings’ front office lately. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s tenure was marred by a series of questionable quarterback decisions, from letting Sam Darnold walk to reportedly rushing J.J. McCarthy into the starting role.

The Vikings could surely use a veteran quarterback, and if you’re dreaming big, there isn’t a bigger name than Joe Burrow, assuming he’s even available.

The conversation picked up steam when Sports Illustrated reporter Grant Cohn laid out a bold scenario in a video posted to X. According to him, Minnesota is at least exploring the idea of making a massive offer to the Cincinnati Bengals.

“They’re planning to offer J.J. McCarthy and Jonathan Greenard, and two first-round picks to the Cincinnati Bengals for Joe Burrow,” he said. “If the Bengals say no, then they might go out and get Kirk Cousins, bring him back.”

How much weight it carries is hard to say. Big offers get floated this time of year, and not all of them come from solid ground. What is clear is that people around Burrow aren’t buying any of it. Bengals running back Chase Brown was quick to shut the idea down.

“Joe’s not going anywhere,” Brown told CBS Sports. “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.”

Burrow also said he “can’t see” a scenario where he isn’t suiting up for Cincinnati next season, and he clarified that his recent comments about not having fun were more about his own mindset than frustration with the Bengals. Teams may call. That doesn’t mean the door is wide open.

Still, this league has a way of surprising people. It’s going to be a big offseason.