Bengals must make critical Joe Burrow decision after Trey Hendrickson news

The Cincinnati Bengals knew they were losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency for quite a while. They couldn't have really anticipated he'd defect to the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens, especially in the fashion in which it all played out.

Baltimore had agreed to terms on a Maxx Crosby trade, only to back out of giving up two first-round picks on account of Crosby's failed physical. A quick pivot on Wednesday saw Hendrickson sign with the Ravens for $112 million over four years, plus some incentives.

So what's next for Cincinnati? Adding another pass rusher would help. Trading for Crosby would be the funniest timeline as the kids say.

Forget all that for a second. As is the case with anything Bengals-related, this all revolves around Joe Burrow. And there's one move the team can make to show they're actually all-in for a Super Bowl.

Bengals had better pull Joe Burrow restructure contract lever to keep pace with Trey Hendrickson & Ravens in AFC North

I've written about this at great length before. A Joe Burrow contract restructure can free up $19+ million, per OverTheCap.com. Burrow has said he's willing to do it on public record. So it's not a lack of desire on his part to do whatever it takes to get into Super Bowl contention.

I just find it hilarious that the Bengals are incapable of thinking this way. They've never restructured a contract like they can with Burrow. They're sitting on over $136 million of projected 2027 cap room, and could always restructure Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins next offseason if money gets even a little tight, which it won't.

Although Cincinnati deserves credit for scoring top-market defenders like safety Bryan Cook and defensive end Boye Mafe, they had unique circumstances for joining the Bengals.

Burrow is the only legitimate recruiting tool for most free agents. In Cook's case, he was born in Cincinnati and played college ball for the Bearcats. He wanted to be here regardless of strange contract terms. Mafe had a legit chance to start, unlike in Seattle, and could take a front-loaded deal to then leverage that and possibly test the market again if his contract gets cut short. His three-year accord is essentially more like two years.

How else do you explain losing out on such a no-brainer signing like Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, Cook's former teammate, at such a doable cost?

The linebacker options are dwindling for Cincinnati. If money's the issue, restructuring Burrow would go a long way to not only scoring one, but also freeing up cap space to trade for a proven veteran. The Bengals have an aversion to such moves in their history. Now is the time to buck trends.

Because again, I'll say this many times throughout the offseason: Joe Burrow will demand a trade if Cincinnati misses the playoffs for a fourth straight year. It's just a fact. This year is all that matters.

No stone can be unturned. This is where you go all-in. That means restructuring Burrow. Or do the Bengals get a twisted sense of pleasure about being left behind by the rest of the NFL?