Bengals Tweak Joe Burrow's Contract - Here's Why
The Cincinnati Bengals reached the Super Bowl in Joe Burrow’s second season as the starting quarterback, and the overwhelming belief was that Burrow would lead the Bengals the franchise’s first championship sooner than later.
Instead, the Bengals have not returned to the Super Bowl since their Super Bowl LVI defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in February 2022. Cincinnati reached the AFC Championship Game the following year but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Bengals have missed the playoffs entirely over the past three seasons.
Burrow missed large chunks of two of those seasons - most recently losing nine games to turf toe last year - but the main culprit for the Bengals’ pedestrian downturn has been one of the NFL‘s worst defenses.
As a result, the Bengals were uncharacteristically aggressive this offseason. The headline was Cincinnati giving up their No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to acquire star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II from the New York Giants. Nearly two months later, the trade affected Burrow’s contract.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL insider Ian Rapoport jointly reported Tuesday that the Bengals restructured Burrow’s contract, “creating $10 million in [salary] cap room.”
“This move allows Cincy to operate without putting itself in a tough spot cap wise,” Schefter wrote. “This is due in part to the cash needed for the Dexter Lawrence trade.”
The Bengals signed Burrow, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, to a five-year, $275 million contract extension in September 2023.
In late May, Burrow seemed pleased by the offseason and called the 2026 Bengals “the most talented roster” of any team he’s played with in Cincinnati. He expounded on that sentiment with USA Today Sports this week.
“I wasn’t happy with how the last several years have gone, the Bengals front office] weren’t happy with how the last several years have gone, so we have that in common,” Burrow said. “We just want to try to put a good product on the field that we can go and win games and win championships and be competitive.”
The Bengals will open their 2026 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 13.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 7:40 PM.