In the lead-up to the 2020 NFL Draft, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and having to either do nothing or do everything remotely, NFL teams still had to continue operating like normal. The Cincinnati Bengals owned the coveted first-overall pick in a class that, looking back, had a handful of studs at the quarterback position. While all of the know-nothing national pundits implored the Bengals not to ruin a certain can’t-miss quarterback prospect, NFL teams were trying to trade their respective ways up to go get the consensus top prospect, Joe Burrow.
Burrow was fresh off what could be argued as the greatest individual season by a quarterback, leading what could be argued as the best college football team to hit the field. He was viewed as a guy who could be a team’s true franchise quarterback and could turn around even the worst franchises. We knew teams tried to pry that pick away from the Bengals with a wealth of picks.
Evidently, there was a real trade offer sent to the Bengals from the team that beat them in the “Burrow Bowl.” For some reason, this information is coming out now, almost as if to try to stir the pot after Burrow’s “having fun” comments over the last two weeks. Either way, ESPN‘s Adam Schefter tweeted and later wrote a whole article about how the Miami Dolphins offered the Bengals four first-round picks for the first-overall pick in 2020. The Bengals said to pound sand and landed Burrow, while the Dolphins are having buyer’s remorse after paying their own pick, Tua Tagovailoa.
Hindsight is 2020, but it’s clear nearly six years later that the Bengals made the right call.
The Cincinnati Bengals Made The Right Decision In 2020
The Bengals are not in the business of making other teams better, for better or for worse. In this case, it was the right call. In 1999, when Mike Ditka called the Bengals and offered the New Orleans Saints’ entire draft to move up to get Rickey Williams, the Bengals said no and drafted Akili Smith. That was the wrong call.
What Cincinnati got in Burrow cannot be measured by wins and losses, or yards and touchdowns. Burrow gave the franchise a boost it hasn’t ever had. Even in the 2020 season that will be remembered for his injury, Burrow was on pace to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in what should have been an all-time race against Justin Herbert. Then, in his second year, Burrow led the team to the Super Bowl, which was lost because his defense was called for a ticky-tack penalty and his offensive line was filled with guys no longer playing in the NFL.
2022 was no different. The Bengals went to the AFC Championship and nearly won despite playing an awful game.
Then, Burrow got hurt on an innocuous hit in 2023. Last year, he carried the franchise kicking and screaming to contention, only to be let down by what was a historically bad defense. Then, this year, that defense got worse, and he suffered the most severe and rarest form of Turf Toe injury.
Despite those injuries. Despite the front office failing at nearly every turn to surround him with a competent team. Burrow persevered. He very easily could have shut it down this year, let the team tank for the best pick possible, and got back on the horse next year. Instead, he doesn’t quit. He came back quicker than any expert expected and gave the team a little hope.
Is Burrow without blame for some of the team’s struggles? Absolutely not. He has had bad games against the Ravens, like last week. His play style of never giving up on a play both opens himself to injury as well as turnovers, as we saw in the loss to the Bills. Of course, if the defense managed to remember that Josh Allen might be the best rushing quarterback in the league, the story could be different. But, as we always say, if ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.
It’s running on the front page of ESPN’s app right now, but @RapSheet reported tonight’s Dolphins/Burrow “news” from @AdamSchefter nearly four years ago.
Not sure how they missed that this was already out there. pic.twitter.com/jSA3fHsLdx
— Matt Edwards (@MattEdwards) December 21, 2025
What If?
All of this to say, what if the Bengals took the offer? On Madden, the offer looks good; you can rebuild a bad team over the course of a few years, all while keeping the best players cheap. The actual picks in Schefter’s attempt to stir up nonsense were not actually divulged, so let’s assume the Dolphins offered 1.05 and 1.18 in 2020, and their two picks in 2021, which we will just say stay the same at 1.12 and 1.18. The Bengals could have done some serious damage.
Over the course of those two drafts, the Bengals would have had five first-round picks. With those picks, the team could have taken Justin Herbert fifth overall, Justin Jefferson 18th overall, Penei Sewell fifth overall in 2021, Micah Parsons 12th overall, and someone like Greg Newsome 18th overall. On paper, that’s a Super Bowl haul, especially if the team goes out to get guys like Trey Hendrickson, Chidobe Awuzie, etc in free agency. Who knows, maybe they get it right and extend Jessie Bates III early!
More: Week 16 Cincinnati Bengals Mock Draft: Let’s Have Some Fun
Of course, that all sounds fine and dandy if you play NFL like Madden. In reality, the Bengals might have come out of those drafts with guys like Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Reagor, Penei Sewell (can’t really mess that one up), Zaven Collins, and Alijah Vera-Tucker. These things don’t exist in vacuums.
The Bengals could have done well in the draft and set themselves up for long-term success. At the same time, they could be in the same boat as the Dolphins are…and Miami even traded for Tyreek Hill! It could have been worse.
All in all, the Bengals were right not to even entertain trade offers. Was it because they fully bought into Burrow, or was it because owning four more first-round picks would have pushed the non-existent scouting department to its limits? Let’s be as nice as possible and say it’s the former.
Regardless, national voices like Schefter don’t really understand the Bengals and would actually be happier if the franchise relocated to a larger market and were flashier. In reality, the Bengals have flaws, yes, but those flaws are fixable. Burrow is able to overcome most and can cover up a lot of those issues.
Tua Tagovailoa would not have been able to.
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