The Las Vegas Raiders tried to get the old band back together this year by hiring Pete Carroll as their head coach and trading for Geno Smith as their starting quarterback. To say that experiment has gone poorly would be an understatement, as the Raiders are trending toward potentially earning the #1 overall pick in next year's draft.
A scenario that would have seemed completely ridiculous to even think about just three months ago may now be plausible, however, as the #1 overall pick could be used in a blockbuster trade for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
At least, ESPN's Dan Orlovsky seems to think that might be possible, because he's already throwing out potential future destinations for the seemingly disgruntled Bengals starter. And Denver Broncos fans will hate it.
Joe Burrow to the Raiders is an ugly reality Broncos fans can only hope they never have to live in
Here is what Orlovsky said on the air on ESPN about Joe Burrow and his future with the Bengals potentially being in question:
"It's the beginning of the end for Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. The organization has absolutely failed him," Orlovsky said. "If I'm the Jets, if I'm the Raiders, if I'm the Vikings, if I'm the Steelers, I am figuring out a way, coming off of what happened just yesterday, getting together and saying, 'How do we get Joe Burrow? How do we start the process of making Joe Burrow our quarterback? Because he obviously no longer wants to be in Cincinnati."
- Dan Orlovsky (via ESPN's 'Get Up')
First of all, we have to take a couple of steps back here. Why is anybody even talking about this? Maybe you haven't seen any of Burrow's press conferences lately, but it's clear that Burrow is not happy in his current situation.
"If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. I've been through a lot, and if it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? So that's the mindset I'm trying to bring to the table."
- Joe Burrow (via ESPN)
This quote is one of many we've seen from Burrow since he returned from injury that has raised a few eyebrows around the NFL landscape. The way he sounds right now, you almost wonder if there's another "Andrew Luck" sort of situation going on here. Ultimately, with the biggest contract in Cincinnati Bengals history, we know that money is not the problem.
And it's not helping Burrow have enough "fun" apparently.
Because the Raiders have one of the most obvious needs at the quarterback position going forward, they are going to pop up as one of the teams that might be interested in a move like this. Let's say the Bengals would be even remotely willing to listen, it would probably cost the Raiders their top pick (potentially #1 overall), pass rusher Maxx Crosby, and likely at least another couple of top picks going back to the Bengals.
And that's if we're living in a fantasyland where a trade like this could actually happen.
For the time being, this feels like it has a Lloyd Christmas "one in a million" chance of happening, but even the thought of Burrow in silver and black is enough to make your skin crawl if you're a fan in Broncos Country.