Bengals Don’t Seem To Be Planning To Restructure QB Joe Burrow’s Contract

According to Charlie Clifford, the Bengals have shown no indication they’re thinking about restructuring QB Joe Burrow‘s contract to create more cap space. 

Clifford writes there’s been no dialogue between the team and Burrow’s camp about a restructure. 

The Bengals are one of the teams that use contract restructures the least, as they don’t like to give out guarantees or take on dead money. 

However, Burrow has been pushing them to be more aggressive with roster construction, including being creative with restructures if the situation calls for it. 

So far the Bengals seem like they’ve gotten the message from Burrow, swinging a huge, uncharacteristic trade for DT Dexter Lawrence. Burrow has recently called this the most talented Bengals team he’s been on. 

Cincinnati is toward the bottom of the league in cap space right now and doesn’t really have room for other moves. However, they could still theoretically lower Burrow’s cap hit that is nearly $48 million. De facto Bengals GM Duke Tobin didn’t rule that out when asked in April. 

“Those are things we are working through after the draft,” Tobin said. “We have layered in (salary cap) challenges, but we are up to them, and we do it because we have the opportunity to add the right people and the right players.”

Burrow, 29, was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 by the Bengals out of LSU. He signed a four-year, $36,190,137 rookie contract that includes a $23,880,100 signing bonus.

Burrow was set to earn a base salary of $1,010,000 in 2023. The Bengals already picked up his fifth-year option for the 2024 season when they signed him to a record five-year, $275 million extension. 

In 2025, Burrow appeared in eight games and completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions.

We’ll have more on the Bengals and Burrow as the news is available.