Joe Burrow is willing to restructure his contract in order to help the Cincinnati Bengals retain Tee Higgins and their other top impending free agents.
In an appearance on FS1's "Breakfast Ball" on Thursday, the Bengals quarterback replied "of course" when asked if he was willing to move some of his own money around to keep Higgins and others. But he isn't concerned that the Bengals won't be willing to spend, either.
"Yeah, I do I do," Burrow said when asked if he had confidence the team would be able to spend the money necessary to keep all of their top players. "We have the cap space to get it done. I wanna make it happen. Everybody involved, Trey [Hendrickson], Tee, Ja'Marr [Chase], Mike G[esicki], we all wanna stay together. So, when you have guys that are motivated like that, I think you can get those things done."
Higgins is widely viewed as not just the top wide receiver who's set to hit the open market this offseason, but some rankings list him as the top impending free agent. The 26-year-old is coming off another standout season, recording at least 900 receiving yards for the fourth time in his five-year career and had a career-high 10 receiving touchdowns in just 12 games.
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While keeping a player like Higgins would seem like a no-brainer for many, the Bengals are in a tricky situation. Higgins already played on the franchise tag in 2024 as extension talks last offseason were reportedly nonexistent. Chase, who has statically been the better receiver between the two, is also extension-eligible and "held in" during training camp in 2024 as he sought a deal. So, Higgins might be a lesser priority for the Bengals.
It could also be reasoned that the Bengals' offense can afford to take the hit. Burrow led the league in passing and passing touchdowns as Cincinnati's offense was ninth in yards and sixth in scoring. The Bengals' defense, meanwhile, was 25th in yards allowed and scoring, holding Cincinnati from making the postseason at 9-8. Hendrickson, who was one of the lone bright spots on the Bengals' defense with a league-high 17.5 sacks in 2024, is also entering the final year of his deal and has made it clear he wants an extension.
The Bengals have some cap space this offseason, holding $46.5 million in cap room, per OverTheCap. But that might not be enough to keep Higgins and make meaningful improvements to the roster. Restructuring Burrow's contract is the clearest way for Cincinnati to open cap space. He has a $46.25 million cap hit for 2025 as he enters the first season of his five-year, $275 million deal.
Burrow, obviously, wants all of the Bengals' top players to remain in Cincinnati.
"I think keeping everybody we had last year is obviously ideal," Burrow said. "I think we can do it. I know we all want to stay together and make it happen. So, we'll see what happens. But I'm confident that the guys involved will be able to do what it takes to get it done."
If the Bengals aren't able to keep Higgins or another one of their top players in Cincinnati, though, Burrow's confidence won't waver. He reiterated that he feels the Bengals' championship window will remain open as long as he's there.
"If you're not gonna think that way and you're not gonna go out on the field every Sunday and think that you have the best chance to win, why do you work so hard? Why do you do any of this? I'm not gonna say, ‘Ah, we might lose some people and we're gonna stink,'" Burrow said.
There were some long-term concerns surrounding Burrow's ability entering the 2024 season and early in the year that might have caused some to think the Bengals' championship window was closed. As he returned from a rare ligament injury in his throwing wrist that ended his 2023 season prematurely, Burrow was seen working on his wrist throughout games.
Of course, Burrow's play by the end of the year quelled those concerns and he's feeling good about his rehab from the injury going into 2025.
"I feel great. The wrist was getting better every single week," Burrow said. "That's how these ligament injuries go - the more time you play, the more time away from the surgery, the better you're going to feel. So, I'll feel better next year than I did this year. It'll be that way until the game next September, whenever that is.
"I'm excited for that because I was dealing with some things this year because of that surgery earlier in the year where those are just some things you have to deal with when you're coming back from an injury like that. I'm excited to comeback 100% healthy and start the season strong."
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