Patriots Rival Reportedly Made Big Push For Joe Burrow In 2020

Luckily for the New England Patriots, the Cincinnati Bengals refuted an AFC East rival’s aggressive overtures for Joe Burrow in 2020.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday that the Miami Dolphins offered the Bengals four first-round picks for the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft so they could snag Burrow. Cincinnati never entertained trade discussions.

The Dolphins steered the Bengals closer to Burrow with a Week 16 overtime win over Cincinnati in the 2019 season. Miami then concluded the schedule with an upset over New England in Tom Brady’s final regular-season game with the Patriots.

As a result, the Dolphins slid to No. 5 in the 2020 draft order. There was little doubt the Bengals would use the top pick on Burrow, who led LSU to a dominant undefeated season with 5,671 passing yards and 60 touchdowns.

With Justin Herbert on the board, the Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa. Five years later, Miami is benching Tagovailoa for Sunday’s game against Burrow and the Bengals.

Tagovailoa initially ignited his career under head coach Mike McDaniel, tallying a league-leading 4,624 passing yards in 2023. Yet the former Alabama star has regressed considerably this season, recording an 88.5 passer rating with 15 interceptions for the 6-8 Dolphins.

Quinn Ewers will instead start on Sunday in an AFC matchup with no playoff implications. The Dolphins must answer some difficult questions about Tagovailoa and their quarterback situation this offseason.