Raven Country

Analyst Makes Wild Ravens, Joe Burrow Trade Suggestion

The debate between Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow rages on.

Jon Alfano

Sep 17, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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The top two quarterbacks in the AFC North, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, are widely considered to be among the best in the league, but the debate over who's better continues to this day.

Jackson has more individual accolades to his name with two MVP awards and is the much better rusher between the two. On the other hand, Burrow is the better pocket passer and has taken his team to a Super Bowl, something many pundits harp on Jackson for not doing. Everyone has their opinion on which one is better, but most agree that they're in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks along with Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Not everyone agrees that they're interchangable on the rankings though. FS1's T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who previously played tight end for the Bengals from 2001-08, boldly claimed that the Ravens would trade Jackson for Burrow if presented with the opportunity.

"I believe every team in the national football league, with the exception of probably the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, would trade their quarterback for Joe Burrow," Houshmandzadeh said on FS1's "Speak." They [Ravens] would trade their quarterback for Joe Burrow. That's what I believe."

Even if one believes Burrow is better than Jackson, it doesn't seem like a big enough gap to justify trading one for the other (all this is hypothetical of course), and that's just in a vacuum. In context, it would make even less sense for the Ravens to swap out Burrow for Jackson, as their entire offense is built around Jackson's unique skillset.

It's also worth noting that Jackson has a 4-1 career record against Burrow, even though head-to-head record is obviously not the be all, end all for settling these debates.

Unless one of them pulls significantly ahead later in their careers, the debate between the two AFC North superstars seems like it will coninue on for a very long time.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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