The Cincinnati Bengals have yet to come out and say they are going to select Joe Burrow with the top overall pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft, but teams that call to inquire about trading for the pick are apparently wasting their time.
The Bengals fielded some calls from teams who were interested in the No. 1 pick back in February and March, but ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports that they are no longer entertaining offers. One team source said Cincinnati executives might as well “turn our ringers off on our phones.”
How much do the Bengals like Joe Burrow? While they got a few calls from teams looking to trade up, back in Feb. & March, at this point they are not even pretending to entertain offers. As one source put it “we could just turn our ringers off on our phones” in regards to a trade
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) April 22, 2020
Russini added that the Bengals are waiting to announce the pick because they want to give Burrow his moment in the spotlight during the draft.
Even though everyone including Joe Burrow can connect the dots, sources say the Bengals want to wait until they are on the clock to make it official with Burrow. Cincy wants to give the #1 overall pick that moment to get the call from the team on draft night. #Bengals
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) April 22, 2020
There was some talk recently that one team could try to overwhelm Cincinnati with an offer for the No. 1 overall pick, but that seems highly unlikely. Burrow is the best quarterback available, and the Bengals are in desperate need of a franchise QB.
The draft could get more interesting after the Bengals take Burrow, as the Washington Redskins are reportedly entertaining offers for the second overall pick.
