The Cincinnati Bengals appear to be “all-in” this season. Their offseason strategy was to be aggressive and retool a roster that has missed the postseason in three consecutive seasons.
Unlike most teams that fail to make the playoffs, Cincinnati has its most important pieces in place. They have a star quarterback in Joe Burrow, who is surrounded by perhaps the best wide receiver duo in the NFL.
Now, with Cincinnati adding a rookie receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft and veteran tight end Mike Gesicki under contract for two more seasons, the team could look to part ways with a wide receiver who has one year remaining on his current contract.
Cincinnati Bengals Could Look to Trade Wide Receiver
FanSided’s Matt Fitzgerald wrote for Stripe Hype about three Bengals players who could become trade candidates in 2026. Among those three was wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, who has spent the first three seasons of his career with the Bengals after originally being selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Fitzgerald wrote of Iosivas: “The Bengals have a WR3 problem that actually might be solved by Mike Gesicki, who seldom even lines up as an inline tight end.
That could be bad news for Andrei Iosivas. Not only could Gesicki out-snap Iosivas in the slot, but Cincinnati also spent a fourth-round pick on Colbie Young to add competition to the wide receiver spot behind Chase and Higgins.
Iosivas for sure has the inside track as the third wideout. However, he had a pretty bad 2025 campaign when he was expected to take a big step forward.
Burrow seems to trust Iosivas. There’s no question the latter has an enviable blend of size and athleticism. Will that translate more often into consistent separation and better overall production this year? If not, Iosivas could be auctioned off for a Day 3 pick before the trade deadline.”
Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receivers
After a strong 2024 season, in which Iosivas totaled 479 receiving yards, he disappointed in what many expected to be a breakout 2025 season. Iosivas ended up with fewer receiving yards in 2025 and had the lowest catch percentage of his three-year career.
Unfortunately, his difficult season resulted in hateful messages being directed toward Iosivas by the fanbase. Iosivas said of his 2025 season, “I feel like last year I was in my head a little bit. I had those drops in those games and people were telling me to kill myself and all that kind of stuff. I never had that kind of stuff happen to me before…It makes me angry, honestly.”
Perhaps Iosivas could also benefit from a change of environment with a potential trade. At this point it seems unlikely that he will be extended by Cincinnati. With Chase and Higgins both under long-term contracts, it appears unrealistic that the team will invest more salary cap space in another wide receiver. Additionally, as Fitzgerald mentioned, Gesicki primarily plays as a wide receiver for Cincinnati.
The writing for Iosivas’ future on the team appeared to be on the wall when the Bengals drafted wide receiver Colbie Young in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Although both players possess different skillsets, Young has impressed in the team’s offseason program and has been getting mentored by Tee Higgins.
In three seasons, Iosivas has totaled 1,030 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Bengals Could Part Ways With 1,000-Yard Receiver During 2026 Season