The Vikings Need to Call on Joe Burrow… Like Yesterday

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Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, Just Jefferson
Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Unless you have a working crystal ball, only time will tell us whether or not things will get easier for Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy, over the final four games of 2025, and into the start of next season.

So while Minnesota Vikings fans continue to lose years of their life worrying about our favorite football team’s quarterback situation, let’s look to Cincinnati, Ohio where Bengals ownership does not seem to understand the invaluable professional sports asset it has in, star quarterback Joe Burrow.

Joe Burrow is clearly over Cincinnati

You might have heard of the 29-year-old former college football National Champion who has completed an all-time NFL record 68.2% of his passes while throwing for 19,735 yards, 148 touchdowns and 48 interceptions over the course of his six-year NFL career.

Well if you haven’t seen the video yet, the 2x Pro Bowl QB met with reporters on Wednesday after Bengals practice. And if you didn’t know better, you’d think he’s about to announce his retirement… or possibly demand a trade.

Neither of those things happened, in the moment. But if nothing else, Joe Cool’s meeting with media members yesterday was a clear and very intentional cry for help.

Burrow: “If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing this. I have been through a lot. If it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for? That is the mind set I am trying to bring to the table.”

Reporter: “You seem frustrated?”

Burrow: “There are just a lot of things going on right now. A lot of things going on.”

Reporter: “Football related or personal?”

Burrow: “All of the above.”

The Minnesota Vikings need to call on Joe Burrow

Just ask former NFL quarterback, Dan Orlovsky, who went on ESPN Radio (“Unsportsmanlike Radio”) Thursday morning and listed the Jets, Raiders and Steelers as three teams that should already be working the phones in Cincinnati, to see if they have any shot at trading for Joe Burrow.

But as our friends at The Purple Persuasion noted, a move to the NFC makes WAY more sense for Burrow than going to any of the three AFC teams Dan mentioned in the below video.

Related: First Week 15 Vikings Injury Report Littered with Veterans

If Joe Burrow is moved to the NFC, he avoids Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, on any path to a Super Bowl in the near future. And if he is off to an NFC team… is there one that makes more sense than the Minnesota Vikings, who have inarguably the best supporting cast and coaching staff of any other team that needs him?

Unlikely. Plus, one of those supporting cast members is his former LSU teammate, Justin Jefferson. But when recruiting, you have to find the pitches that hit home the most, for the individual you are courting. Not only would football be more fun here, but the Vikings have everything the Bengals do not.

On top of that, the Vikings have some of the best facilities in football and an ownership group that cares more about winning games than it does protecting every cent coming out of its bank account. If you want a MN sports comparison for the Bengals… think the Pohlads of football.

Wait… MN Vikings QB JJ McCarthy was better last week.

Before we continue, it’s worth noting that JJ McCarthy played better last weekend, in the Minnesota Vikings’ 31-0 victory over the hapless Washington Commanders. It was by far the best performance of his NFL career.

The 22-year-old redshirt rookie quarterback completed 16 of 23 passes (69.6%) for 163 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. For the most part, he played on time and in rhythm.

Now, the questions this week in Vikings land surround (a) how much of Minnesota’s game plan against Washington was simplified for JJ McCarthy and (b) did everything against the Commanders look better because of his continued QB development OR was it the defense’s rather basic scheme?

Nobody knows for sure. So, all we can do now is pray, entering week 15 in Dallas, that McCarthy can parlay his bounceback performance against DC into a stepping-stone game on Sunday against the Cowboys, who will be fighting for their playoff lives.

But what if we didn’t have to worry about that? What if we could go back to worrying about how we are going to build a team around a QB that is being paid double, triple, exponentially more than just about everyone else on the roster, like we used to with Kirk Cousins?

Joe Burrow to MN Vikings just makes too much sense

Except, instead of a borderline top-10 quarterback… it’s Joe Burrow, a bona fide top 5 talent at the position? Because you cannot watch Joe Cool’s interview from yesterday and walk away with any certainty that he’ll be in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform next season.

Do whatever you need to do, Kwesi, Kevin O’Connell… the Wilfs! I’m talking to all of you. Go show Joe the NFLPA report cards from the past two seasons, where the Vikings rank near the absolute top of all player happiness categories, while the Cincinnati Bengals are near the bottom.

Related: Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Did NOT Want to Exit Game Early vs Commanders

Sure, all of this has yet to produce much postseason success, but if you put Joe Burrow under center on this exact Vikings team, they go from 5-8 to an immediate Super Bowl contender. Of course, the trade deadline is past and that cannot happen until the offseason. But trust me when I say this, we MN Vikings fans can wait that long.

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