Joe Burrow Open to Bengals Contract Restructure to Keep Chase, Higgins, Hendrickson

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow expressed a willingness Thursday to be flexible with his contract in order to accommodate the team's other star players.

During an appearance on FS1's Breakfast Ball (h/t Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic), Burrow said, "Of course," when asked if he would restructure his contract to allow the Bengals to get other key players signed such as wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and tight end Mike Gesicki.

Burrow also responded positively to a question about his confidence in the Bengals' front office's ability to keep the core together, saying: "I do. I do. We have the cap space to get it done. I want to make it happen. Everybody involved: Trey, Tee, Ja'Marr, Mike G, we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that, I think you can get those things done."

Both Higgins and Gesicki are set to become free agents this offseason, while Chase and Hendrickson are signed through 2025.

While Chase was a training camp hold-in last year who did not start practicing until shortly prior to the start of the 2024 regular season, he ultimately played under his current deal and turned in a dominant performance.

After winning the receiving Triple Crown with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, Chase will almost certainly insist on a new contract this offseason that makes him the NFL's highest-paid wideout.

Hendrickson requested a trade last offseason when he and the Bengals couldn't come to terms on a new contract, but like Chase, he eventually reported to the team.

The 30-year-old veteran went on to record 17.5 sacks for a second consecutive season, leading the league in that category. He was named a Pro Bowler, First Team All-Pro and NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist.

This week, during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (h/t ESPN's Ben Baby), Hendrickson suggested that if he does not get a new deal this offseason, he will insist on a trade this time around.

Burrow, 28, is coming off a career year that saw him lead the NFL with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns to go along with nine interceptions.

Despite that, the Bengals went just 9-8 and missed the playoffs, largely due to a defense that ranked 25th in the league in both total yards and points allowed.

Still, the Bengals will be considered top contenders to win the AFC and go to the Super Bowl next season if they are able to keep the core of their roster together.

Chase and Hendrickson are elite players at their respective positions, while Higgins and Gesicki are key to Burrow's success as well.

Higgins, 26, had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022 before injuries limited him to 12 games in 2023. Higgins also played in only 12 games this season, but he still managed 73 grabs for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He is shaping up to be arguably the best free agent at any position this offseason, which could make it difficult for the Bengals to compete with teams that have more money to spend.

In his only season with the Bengals, Gesicki had 65 receptions for 665 yards and two scores. He would be far cheaper to re-sign than Higgins, but figures to have plenty of interest on the open market as well.

Burrow signed a five-year, $275 contract extension in 2023 and is set to have a $46.25 million cap hit next season, per Spotrac.

OverTheCap.com estimates that the Bengals have the ninth-most cap space in the NFL at $46.5 million, and a Burrow restructure could get them even more, as could signing Chase and Hendrickson to extensions.

Doling out several massive contracts could have negative consequences in the future, but if the Bengals want to go all in and compete for Super Bowls over the next few years, they do seem to have the means to make it happen.