ClutchPoints
The Cincinnati Bengals are in a truly desperate situation at quarterback. Joe Burrow suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury in Week 2. That injury will sideline him for at least three months, meaning at best he could return for a late-season playoff push in late December. But the Bengals actually have to be in the playoff hunt for that to even matter.
Cincinnati handed the reins over to Jake Browning in Week 3 after a solid effort in Week 2. But the Bengals got their doors blown off by a ferocious Vikings defense.
Now the Bengals are left scratching their heads at 2-1. Their running game is not working, and Browning’s struggles in Week 3 did not help matters.
Cincinnati already brought in some new quarterbacks for their practice squad. But should they be more aggressive about finding someone to challenge Browning?
Coincidentally, one intriguing quarterback could now be on the trade market.
The Giants announced on Tuesday that Jaxson Dart will be the team’s new starting quarterback. That means that veteran Russell Wilson is now a backup in New York.
Could the former Super Bowl champion make sense for the Bengals as a one-year patch at quarterback?
Let’s explore why the Bengals should make an offer for veteran QB Russell Wilson.
Before we get into the analysis, this is my hypothetical trade terms for a potential Russell Wilson trade.
Bengals receive:
Giants receive:
A third-round pick might sound rich, but I think that’s about what it would take to pry Russ away from New York.
It is debatable whether or not that price is worth it for a player like Wilson. But when looking at it through the lens of “we’re trying to rescue this entire season in Week 4”, I think a third-round pick is a fair price.
This trade could easily make sense for both teams.
Russ has a lot of qualities that should make him attractive to Cincinnati.
First, he’s affordable. The Bengals would only need to pay Wilson a $2 million base salary and have plenty of cap space to bring him aboard.
Better yet, Wilson is only on a one-year deal. That means Cincinnati can go for it in 2025 without harming their future prospects. Outside of the cost to acquire him, of course.
In that respect, Wilson is a much better trade candidate for Cincinnati than Kirk Cousins.
Finally, it’s not like Wilson is a completely terrible quarterback at this stage in his career.
Russ managed 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns with only five interceptions with the Steelers in 2024. He even led them to the playoffs.
That should be attractive to the Bengals because they don’t need Russ to start for them in the postseason. They just need to get there and wait for Burrow to return.
Meanwhile, the Giants already have Jameis Winston in house as...
