The NFL offseason may be underway, but Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is already thinking about lining up with a player he has been a big fan of. On March 21, NFL legend Tom Brady is set to host the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles, and Burrow will be a participant. But ahead of the event, while team captains drafted their squads, Burrow, who will be leading the Wildcat Team, didn’t hesitate to make a telling choice. 

“This is a guy I’ve always wanted to play with – Davante Adams,” Joe Burrow said while drafting Adams to his team. 

Now, even though Davante Adams has never been Joe Burrow’s teammate, they’ll be playing together for the Tom Brady-hosted game. But of course, the circumstances have never aligned for the two players to share the same locker room in the NFL. When Burrow was drafted by the Bengals in 2020, Adams was already entrenched as one of the league’s top receivers with the Green Bay Packers. 

Then, in 2021, the Bengals locked in their future of receiving corps by drafting WR Ja’Marr Chase. Still, joining forces with Davante Adams is apparently a dream come true for Burrow. And who wouldn’t want to throw to a receiver of Adams’ caliber? Across 12 NFL seasons, Adams has recorded 1,017 receptions for 12,633 yards and 117 touchdowns. 

Even more impressively, the 33-year-old WR is coming off a strong season with 60 catches for 789 yards while leading the league with 14 touchdowns. Adams also played a big role in helping the Los Angeles Rams to a 12-5 record and a playoff berth.

Meanwhile, the Bengals are coming off a disappointing 6-11 season, with Burrow missing nine games due to a turf toe injury. Without their franchise quarterback for much of the year, Cincinnati’s offense ranked 17th in the league last season. So it’s fair to ask, could Burrow actually benefit from adding a veteran presence like Adams?

At the same time, Davante Adams is entering a crucial phase of his contract with the Rams, in which the team could move on from him and create cap space. As per Spotrac, Adams’ base salary is also set to jump significantly – from $8 million in 2025 to $18 million in 2026. So, even if he plays out the deal with the Rams, he’ll hit free agency after the 2026 season, opening another potential window for the Bengals to acquire him. And trade speculation has already started to swirl around Adams, with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio recently reporting that the Rams were thinking of a move involving the WR. 

“The Rams recently had trade talks with the Eagles for receiver A.J. Brown. As mentioned on Saturday, the Rams eventually tapped out,” Mike Florio reported in a recent article. “So what if they’d made the trade for Brown? It would have left them with Puka Nacua (who’s eventually getting a significant second contract), Davante Adams (who’ll make $24 million in cash in 2026), and Brown (who’ll make $29 million this year). Per a league source, the Rams – while talking about a possible trade for Brown – were pursuing the possibility of trading Adams.”

Adding a veteran like Adams to complement WRs Tee Higgins and Chase sounds like a luxury upgrade for the Bengals. But in reality, the Bengals are already heavily invested in their receiving corps with Chase and Higgins reportedly combining for $69 million annually. 

So while the idea of Burrow playing with Adams in Cincinnati is exciting, it feels more like a ‘what if’ case than a realistic move, at least for now. But Burrow’s recent comment about Adams also intensified the speculation about him landing elsewhere.

Will the Rams acquire Joe Burrow through a trade?

Joe Burrow signed a massive $275 million, 5-year extension deal with the Bengals back in 2023, signaling his long-term commitment to the team. But with Cincinnati missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, how long will Burrow’s patience last? The Bengals haven’t truly been competitive since their Super Bowl run in the 2021 season, where they fell short against the Rams. If the struggles continue into the next season, could Burrow start exploring other options?

At the same time, rumors have already hinted at a potential trade scenario with Joe Burrow forcing his way out of Cincinnati and landing in Los Angeles. The Rams, for their part, are expected to remain competitive in 2026 with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford entering his 18th season. However, there’s a looming question about whether this will be Stafford’s last season in the NFL.

If Stafford retires after the 2026 season, the Rams could find themselves in the market for a franchise quarterback, and Joe Burrow could be the perfect target. Through six seasons, Burrow has thrown for 20,810 yards, 157 touchdowns, and 51 interceptions. Even in an injury-shortened campaign in 2025, he managed 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just five interceptions in eight games. 

The two-time Comeback Player of the Year has the potential to bounce back, and if he heads to the NFC West, Burrow could further polish his abilities with WRs Puka Nacua and Adams under Sean McVay’s system. So, the Rams could still re-sign Adams and trade for Burrow to make the QB’s wish of playing with the veteran receiver also come true in the NFL.