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Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, Joe Burrow emerged as the no-brainer No. 1 pick after winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the LSU Tigers to a historic national championship. And the team holding the No. 1 overall pick, the Cincinnati Bengals, just happened to need a quarterback.

The Miami Dolphins, which held the No. 5 overall pick and two more first-rounders in 2020, called up the Bengals with the intention of trading all three of their first-round picks and “potentially more” for Burrow, but Cincy hung up before they even got to make an offer.

The Bengals always knew Joe Burrow was their guy

After a 2-14 season in 2019, the Bengals were desperate for a quarterback who could lift them out from the basement of the AFC. Thankfully for Cincinnati, it ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 with a Heisman Trophy-winning QB staring the franchise in its face.

Burrow had just finished up a historic senior season at LSU in which he threw for 5,671 yards and 60 (yes, 60) touchdowns. It didn’t take long for the Bengals to land on Burrow as their selection.

Multiple teams showed interest in moving up to steal the LSU product away, but Cincy never budged.

The Dolphins were willing to trade three first-round picks and “potentially more” for Burrow

Joe Burrow could've been a Miami Dolphin.
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals warms up before a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins | Dylan Buell/Getty Images

One of the teams interested in trading up for Burrow was always the Dolphins. Miami was also desperate for a QB at the time, and it had the draft capital to make a big move up the board.

According to a new report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Dolphins were willing to trade all three of their first-round picks and “potentially more” for the No. 1 overall pick. Miami held the No. 5, No. 18, and No. 30 picks in the first round, but Cincinnati wasn’t even interested in listening to the offer.

“According to sources with direct knowledge of the talks, the Dolphins called Cincinnati and attempted to trade for the selection that wound up being LSU quarterback Joe Burrow,” Rapoport writes. “The call was quick, and the member of the Bengals brass who picked up the phone quickly hung up.”

The Bengals were clearly dead set on Burrow from the start, and no offer would’ve been juicy enough for them to give up the No. 1 pick. When you know, you know.

A wasted draft for Miami

If the Dolphins completed a blockbuster deal in 2020 and walked away from the draft with Burrow, it could be them playing against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship this Sunday. Instead, they ended up with Tua Tagovailoa, Austin Jackson, and Noah Igbinoghene, and they haven’t made the playoffs since that draft class came aboard.

After two mediocre seasons from Tagovailoa, Miami could already be questioning its quarterback situation moving forward. And to think they could’ve landed Burrow or Justin Herbert instead.

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Staff Writer

Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.