The Cincinnati Bengals knew they had work to do after their disappointing 2025 campaign, and they have been as busy as ever. The front office worked tirelessly on upgrading the defensive side of the ball in an effort to give star quarterback Joe Burrow and the offense some support in 2026 and beyond.
Of course, Burrow and company remain the stars of the show for Cincinnati, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. The Bengals have invested a ton of money in Burrow, and he is intent on leading them to the promised land. However, he also wants to help his team build a roster that is as competitive as possible, which recently led Cincy to make an eye-opening $10 million move involving his contract.
Bengals Restructure Joe Burrow’s Contract
This is due in part to the cash needed for the Dexter Lawrence trade.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow has proven himself to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he is healthy and on the field. The problem, of course, is that Burrow has missed significant time in three of his first six seasons with the Bengals, and when he’s not on the field, the offense has generally been a mess.
That was the case in 2025, as Burrow suffered a serious turf toe injury that resulted in him missing nine games for Cincinnati. When he was on the field, he looked like himself (173/259, 1,809 YDs, 17 TD, 5 INT), but the Bengals’ inability to win games without him on the field led to their season going to waste.
Cincy has paid Burrow like a top-tier quarterback, as he put pen to paper on a five-year, $275 million contract ahead of the 2023 season. The Bengals need money to address other areas on their roster, though, and with so much money tied up to Burrow, that makes him a candidate to have his contract restructured on a yearly basis. Sure enough, the front office took care of this key item of business during OTAs, as they freed up $10 million by restructuring Burrow’s deal.
“The Bengals have restructured the contract of QB Joe Burrow, per me and Adam Schefter, creating $10M in cap room,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “This move allows Cincy to operate without putting themselves in a tough spot cap wise. This is due in part to the cash needed for the Dexter Lawrence trade.”
Joe Burrow, Bengals Have High Hopes for 2026 Campaign
GettyCincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow
The recipe for success in Cincinnati involves keeping Burrow healthy and on the field. He obviously needs to be paid like one of the top players in the league, which he is, but in order for the team to properly fill out the rest of the roster, it needs money to do so. As a result, this was likely a pretty easy decision for Burrow to make.
With a new-look team, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, set to take the field in 2026, expectations are high for the Bengals as they gear up for the new season. We’ve already seen what Burrow is capable of when he’s fully healthy and in rhythm, so if he can simply stay on the field, it’d be reasonable to expect Cincinnati to put together a bounce-back campaign.
Bengals Make $10 Million Joe Burrow Contract Move During OTAs