What's Next for Heisman Trophy Winner Joe Burrow in the NFL?
Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, December 14, 2019, with the highest percentage of votes of any candidate in history. Burrow's 821 votes received were 90.7% of the total votes for first-place. The first-place voting was a resounding landslide vote in favor of the LSU QB who outpaced Ohio State's QB Justin Fields (20), Oklahoma's QB Jalen Hurts (12), and Ohio State's DE Chase Young (6). Burrow won over the LSU faithful since last season, but it was his Heisman speech that may have won over many NFL fans, GM's and Coaches.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Bengals?
What's next for Joe Burrow in the NFL? Struggling NFL Teams projected to draft in the top 15 need his talent at quarterback. Burrow could return to his home state of Ohio. After Week 8, the Cincinnati Bengals (0-8) benched their nine-year veteran quarterback Andy Dalton and turned to rookie QB Ryan Finley. But after three weeks of Finley returned Dalton back to the starting line-up. Could Burrow help rookie Head Coach Zac Taylor's offense in Cincinnati? Since Burrow is familiar with a pro-style offense brought to LSU by former Saints offensive assistant coach Joe Brady could make sense for the Bengals.
The Dolphins?
Rookie Head Coach Brian Flores needs stability at the quarterback position. The performances of former Cardinals first-round QB Josh Rosen (10th overall in 2018) and veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick have not given Flores confidence in what "could be" for the leadership in Miami. The interesting tidbit is if the Dolphins will again make a play for Saints backup QB Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater spurned the Dolphins' offer last offseason to remain with New Orleans for a one-year $7.5 million contract. We can classify his decision to stay with the Saints as one of the best free-agent moves in the past several years. The Saints needed him when Drew Brees' right thumb injury sidelined him for five weeks. During that period, Bridgewater went 5-0 as a starter and kept New Orleans in the NFC playoff race. Could Burrow fit well with Dolphins offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea? You must believe in order for Miami to have a shot at Burrow, the Bengals would have to love Heisman finalist DE Chase Young as a better player for their team.
The Others?
The next potential spots would be the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, or Los Angeles Chargers. A scenario that would make sense is for Detroit to trade-up for Burrow by offering veteran QB Matt Stafford and draft choices. Another would be for the Chargers to consider their future after QB Phillip Rivers by packaging a deal for Burrow. Chargers RB Melvin Gordon is in his final contract year and held out of several games this season. Could the Chargers offer Gordon a new contract, jettison Rivers as trade-bait, move-up to get an opportunity at Burrow? It could be a great franchise move for a team moving into a new state-of-art stadium with the Los Angeles Rams next season. They would receive a great talent in Burrow and give L.A. season-ticket holders a spark of interest to support the struggling team since moving from San Diego.
Burrow will have options. There are many to believe Joe Burrow (LSU), Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma), and Justin Herbert (Oregon) are the top four quarterbacks entering the NFL draft in 2020. For Burrow, Cincinnati would be the best option for him and the organization. The Bengals still have a decision to make on WR A.J. Green. They could franchise him to keep another year to support a young quarterback as a top target. It is not a certainty since Green has been injured most of 2019 and may seek an opportunity to play for a playoff caliber team in 2020. He needs the right coaching atmosphere to give him the resources, instruction, and tools to succeed. An NFL team may want to look into the LSU program to find answers on successfully coaching Joe Burrow.
LSU and New Orleans Saints fans would love to keep Joe Burrow in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region. However, it appears the 2019 Heisman trophy winner will be headed back home to the Buckeye state next NFL season.
