It was the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that stood witness to Justin Fields getting sacked nine times as he threw for 45 yards. The entire Jets offense struggled mightily against the Denver Broncos in what was the sixth consecutive loss of the season. But it was just October 12, and more bad luck was on the way. Naturally, calls grew for the star QB to be benched, but the head coach dismissed it, saying, “There’s a number of guys that have bad games, that doesn’t mean you just bench them.” But did that stop the solutions from coming in? No. And the most recent one just happens to be from Rob Gronkowski.

Former NFL superstar and current FOX analyst has a radical solution for the New York Jets‘ long-term quarterback problem: Go all-in and trade for Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow. Speaking on FOX NFL Sunday, Gronk shared his trade idea with the public as he said, “They need the quarterback of the future. They’re going to get it through the draft, or they’re going to make a trade for a veteran that’s in their 20s right now. I saw a report, maybe Joe Burrow, possibly. Give up four or five first-rounders.” 

“I mean, that’s what they have in store. They need to do something. They need a spark somehow, someway eventually.”

Okay, diving into the context of what’s being spoken here is the recent trade that took place. The New York Jets just had the wildest trade deadline. The team basically put a “For Sale” sign on their defense and shipped out two of their absolute best players: All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner (to the Colts) and star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (to the Cowboys). 

This was a total shock, but the return was insane; they can make multiple draft picks, including five first-rounders and three second-rounders in the 2026 and 2027 drafts. That’s unprecedented leverage compared to the rest of the league in terms of draft capital. However, trading all of it just for one player is nearly unheard of.

Well, there was the Herschel Walker trade in 1989, where the Dallas Cowboys wound up with three first-round picks, three second-round picks, and a third-round pick. Even more closely, the Cleveland Browns sacrificed three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and two fourth-round picks to get Deshaun Watson in 2022. 

Now, dropping five first-round picks for Joe Burrow seems a little off. No doubt he has been one of the league’s best quarterbacks, leading the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in his second season in 2021. Even last year, he led the league in passing yards and touchdowns. For a player who has brought so much to a franchise, getting him would require some mammoth effort.

If one is to consider choosing Burrow as a pick, he is one of the league’s best QBs when at his best health. But considering the current season, trading him from the Bengals to the Jets might seem a bit far-fetched at the moment. That was the exact reaction the Jets coach gave when he heard what Rob Gronkowski had to say.

Jets coach refused to name his QB, even though the answer was pretty clear

Just a few hours back, the New York Jets secured an exciting 27-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns, marking their second consecutive win this season. Currently, they stand at 2-7 and are 4th in the AFC East. This is a significant milestone for Head Coach Aaron Glenn and the team, as it’s the first time they’ve claimed back-to-back victories since Weeks 2-3 of last season.

Despite the win, a hot topic among the Jets faithful has been Coach Glenn’s decision to keep his starting quarterback choice under wraps, fueling speculation and rumors. He famously refused to name a starter for the previous week’s 8-game, telling the press:

“We will have a quarterback. I don’t worry about those things. Our guys know who’s going to be the quarterback. I know who’s going to be the quarterback. It’s just not my responsibility to have to tell you that.”

But going into Week 10, the situation was far clearer: Tyrod Taylor served as the backup to starting quarterback Justin Fields for Sunday’s game against the Browns.

The QB situation has been dynamic. After replacing a struggling Fields during the Week 7 loss to the Panthers, Taylor seemed ready to take the reins as QB1 for Week 8. However, Taylor picked up a knee contusion during that Panthers game. His limited practice participation meant the Jets stuck with Fields as the starter.

Fields seized that opportunity, delivering one of his best performances of the season in the Jets’ thrilling 39-38 victory over the Bengals. Now, after the team’s Week 9 bye, Fields again got the chance to build on that success, and surely he did. Looking at Burrow’s situation, surely there won’t be any trade of him now because he has remained mostly unhealthy this season. It doesn’t seem like Aaron Glenn would be ready to put the gameplay at risk at this point. But looking at the unpredictable nature of the NFL, anything is hard to say as of the current situation.