Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have had a heck of a time living up to their “wunderkind” billing since crashing the Super Bowl in the 2021-22 season.
Since then, they won the AFC North in 2022 but fell in the AFC Championship Game against the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs, and they’ve finished 9-8 and outside the postseason in each of the last two seasons.
Nevertheless, the team still possesses one of the strongest cores in football, headlined by quarterback Burrow, wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. However, besides Burrow, each of those players are due for free agency within the next couple of years. Recently, the star quarterback made it clear that he expects the team’s front office to do whatever it takes to keep that core together.
Joe Burrow: ‘We Have the Cap Space To Get It Done’
Appearing on FS1’s “Breakfast Ball,” Burrow was asked if he “had faith” in the Bengals’ ownership and front office to open their wallets and prioritize spending on extensions for the team’s best players.
“I do. We have the cap space to get it done,” Burrow responded. “I know I want to make it happen. Everybody involved — Trey, Tee, Ja’Marr, [tight end] Mike [Gesicki] — we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that, I think you can get those kinds of things done.”
When pressed on the issue of the team’s cap space and asked if he would be willing to negotiate a restructure to facilitate extensions for each of his superstar teammates, Burrow simply answered, “Of course.”
#Bengals QB Joe Burrow says on @BrkfstBallOnFS1 that the team has cap space to keep core players (Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, Mike Gesicki) together, and he would restructure his contract if it helps make that possible.
pic.twitter.com/XmDmrYcFfZ— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 6, 2025
Burrow obviously has personal incentive to want each of his offensive comrades to return, as they helped him produce a Pro Bowl season in 2024 in which he led the league in completions (460), passing yards (4,918), and passing touchdowns (43). Burrow is also the all-time leader in completion percentage among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 1,500 passes.
However, his insistence on the team re-signing Hendrickson has been on another level, which makes sense considering the edge rusher has posted 17.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons and led the league in that category this season.
Joe Burrow, on @FirstTake: "We need (Hendrickson) back. We need to give him what he's worth and what he deserves. He's earned that.
And we need our young guys to come on. We need to draft well. We need guys to come in and produce immediately. We don't have time to wait around."
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) February 6, 2025
Currently, on PFSN’s Top 100 NFL Free Agent Rankings, Higgins ranks first among all available players, while Gesicki ranks 78th. Hendrickson and Chase are both due to be free agents after the 2025-26 season.
Currently, the Bengals are projected to have upwards of nearly $50 million in cap space this offseason, which ranks 11th in the league. As Burrow indicated, that should be enough for the team to retain Higgins and Gesicki, but the numbers start getting a little fuzzy if you start to factor in market-setting extensions for Chase and Hendrickson.
Burrow’s willingness to restructure his contract may be a necessity if the team is going to keep each player in tow. The quarterback has a cap hit in excess of $46 million for the duration of his contract, topping out at a whopping $57.5 million figure in 2029.
Regardless, if the team is going to recover from its mini-slump and live up to its status as the only AFC team in the last six years to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs, keeping its best players is a good place to start.