Joe Burrow isn’t just throwing dimes; he’s throwing hints at the Cincinnati Bengals’ front office to keep his squad together. With free agency looming, he’s reportedly pressing hard to make sure the Bengals don’t fumble away his key weapons.
Fans can’t help but feel for him. He’s already carrying the team on his back, and now he’s got to play agent, too? Meanwhile, other franchises are stacking talent like it’s Madden.
Joe Burrow Pushes for Trey Hendrickson, Fans Split on His Public Plea for Payday
Burrow’s playing chess while the Bengals seem to be stuck on checkers. The quarterback has recently been calling for star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to sign an extension, making sure ownership knows it’s time to pay up.
“We need Trey back,” Burrow said on “First Take.” “We need to give him what he’s worth and what he deserves. The cap is going up. We just got new TV deals. We all want to stay together.” As Burrow sees it, Cincinnati’s task is straightforward — keep the band together.
But not everyone’s on board with Burrow’s public push. One fan shot back, “He needs to shut his mouth and just do his job. He’s a quarterback, not a GM.”
Others took it a step further, calling him out for begging. “Man sounds pathetic begging to keep players,” one fan tweeted.
This is sad man guy has to beg the owners to keep star players curse of a cheap owner https://t.co/S2NGLDUDhH
— Victim of winstewart (@RK_FFS) February 6, 2025
However, not all fans are turning on Burrow. Some see his actions as a sign of strong leadership. “Young leader trying to build a good locker room, I can’t hate on that,” one fan said.
Another added, “That’s how you keep your team together—apply pressure with the main guy Burrow, and it will get done!”
Some Bengals fans believe Burrow’s just trying to turn the franchise around. “Dude carries this team on and off the field. The most trash he talked about anyone this year was to ownership instead of an opponent. Dude just wants a chance to change that terrible franchise,” said a supporter.
Burrow’s continued push to keep Hendrickson comes at a crucial time. Cincinnati’s Super Bowl window won’t last forever, and Hendrickson must play a big role on a defense that has to improve before taking down the AFC’s best teams. Having to fill Hendrickson’s shoes only makes that development more difficult.
Joe Burrow Pushes Bengals to Re-Sign Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase
On the other side of the ball, Burrow is doing his best to keep both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase in Cincinnati. After a season that fell just short of the playoffs, Burrow’s sending a clear message: don’t let these stars walk. “We’ve got the (salary cap) space where we need to keep both of them,” Burrow said.
Burrow lit up 2024 with 4,918 yards and 43 TDs, proving he’s one of the best in the game. He also finished fifth by PFN’s QB+ metric. But for the Bengals to stay in the hunt, those playmakers must stay for the long haul.
Burrow knows it, too. He raved about Chase, saying, “Everybody sees what he does on the field… you can’t let him leave.” Higgins, meanwhile, is set to be a free agent in March. “He’s a game-changer for us. Teams can’t just focus on Ja’Marr — Higgins is a real problem on the other side.”
With the cap going up, Burrow’s pushing for the Bengals to lock his co-stars down. It’s simple: keep the core together, or risk falling behind. Given what’s at stake the coming months could be the most important offseason in recent Cincinnati memory.