The Cincinnati Bengals are banking on a healthy Joe Burrow leading a resurgent Super Bowl charge in 2024, but could look to backstop a prolific offense with a bolstered defense.
Mike Brown, Duke Tobin, and the Bengals have already significantly upgraded the safety position by bringing back Vonn Bell and signing Geno Stone away from the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. But, if Cincinnati aims to pull off a similar makeover and upgrade at cornerback, the trade market might be home to a missing piece with upside.
Possible Cincinnati Bengals-Denver Broncos Patrick Surtain Trade
It’s about to get expensive to win in Cincinnati.
Burrow’s cap number nearly doubles to $46.25 million in 2025, and that’s before the Bengals figure out what to do with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and whether to keep or trade field-stretcher Tee Higgins.
So, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see the Bengals shove all of their chips into the middle of the table to make a run at unseating the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC this season.
Given that the Bengals are slated to have 11 picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, as well as their full allotment of selections in 2025, Brown, Tobin, and Cincinnati can afford to be aggressive. And, with the Broncos earmarked towards rebuilding around an uncertain future at quarterback, Denver could be an ideal trade partner.
This trade could wind up working well for both sides:
Cincinnati Bengals Trade: 2024 first-round pick (No. 18), 2024 third-round pick (No. 80 overall), 2025 first-round pick.
Denver Broncos Trade: Patrick Surtain, 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 121 – via Miami)
Acquiring Surtain would give the Bengals a proven playmaker at cornerback, a worthy counterpunch to some of the elite receivers in the AFC, and dealing him away in a trade designated as a post-June 1 transaction would provide some direly needed cap relief for the Broncos.
If Denver trades Surtain with a post-June 1 designation, the move would create upwards of $3.51 million in spending flexibility this season.
What Patrick Surtain Would Bring Bengals
Surtain’s reputation as one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL is well-earned.
Given the state of the Broncos, at the moment, Surtain’s name has been popular fodder in trade rumors throughout an offseason that featured Denver releasing quarterback Russell Wilson while absorbing an $85 million cap hit to do so.
Last season, according to Pro Football Focus, Surtain held opposing quarterbacks to a 93.9 passer rating when targeting him as he finished the 2023 campaign with a career-high 69 total tackles and one interception.
The Bengals are flush with cap space, and could easily fit a significant portion of guaranteed money on a new Surtain extension under the cap this season, given Cincinnati’s remaining $24.5 million in cap space. There’s little question that Surtain is a building block caliber player, but at the moment, the Broncos are struggling to afford any bricks.
Meanwhile, on the field, Surtain would round out a stifling cornerback duo opposite Cam Taylor-Britt, who is coming off arguably the finest season of his NFL career.
A blockbuster trade such as one landing Surtain would signal that the Bengals are intent on putting the pieces together for a legitimate run at the Super Bowl in 2024, while giving Cincinnati’s defense a cornerstone caliber player for this season and beyond.
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