Bengals' potential Joe Burrow restructure is tip of epic salary cap iceberg

The Cincinnati Bengals are not synonymous with salary cap wizardry. They typically structure contracts in baffling, self-sabotaging sorts of ways. That is, unless they were to pull the trigger on any contract restructure, such as in the case of stud quarterback Joe Burrow.

This is not the Bengals' M.O. At least nowadays, the front office seems to have a soft awareness of what the annual spending limit is, as opposed to past years of not going anywhere close to "all-in."

Burrow has expressed a willingness to restructure his deal in the past. Cincinnati hasn't taken him up on it. However, Duke Tobin recently implied that a Burrow restructure may be on the table.

That's not the only cap-savvy move the Bengals could make, though — and in fact, they're better positioned than almost any other team to really go all-in this season.

Just how all-in could the Bengals go with Joe Burrow restructure & other moves?

Thanks to data gathered by SFdata9ers on X/Twitter, we can see, plain as day, that the Bengals could create an additional $94 million or so in 2026 cap space just by restructuring certain contracts:

We're not asking for the moon here. Burrow's restructure alone, per OTC, would free up $19.2 million. Never mind restructures for Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins. Their combined cap space created if those levers were pulled? Try $26.5 million.

But obviously, restructuring like this kicks the can down the road and makes for some cap complications in 2027 in particular. Cornerbacks DJ Turner and Dax Hill are up for new contracts, as is star tailback Chase Brown.

As the books stand now, Cincinnati would have $43.3 million to work with next offseason if Burrow, Chase, and Higgins all got restructured.

Just for fun: Restructures for all the Bengals' marquee additions on defense in Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe, and Bryan Cook would yield $65.3 million in total cap room, or $22 million in 2027 savings. The good news? Cincinnati still has $84 million to work with in 2028 under that admittedly outlandish scenario.

Would that be enough space to retain the likes of Turner, Hill, Brown, and Myles Murphy, now that his fifth-year option is declined? Perhaps, perhaps not. Plus, it'd hamstring the Bengals from spending on outside free agents.

But we're operating in an extreme, boundary-pushing alternate reality here. Restructuring Burrow could set the tone for future like-minded moves. Just a little more cap space now would go a long way toward making this roster the best it can be. and by that I mean, trading a third-round pick for Miami Dolphins All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

OK maybe that's asking for the moon. It's just that Cincinnati can't afford to leave anything to chance in 2026. This year is all that matters. If the Bengals miss the playoffs, Joe Burrow will not be super inclined to stick around.

Granted, if the season goes awry, given all that the organization has done to actually improve the team, Burrow might not be as eager to leave. That said, if we look back, and Demetrius Knight Jr. or Barrett Carter cost this defense in a big spot, us Bengals fans may never get over it.

Because as we've unfortunately witnessed in three years of non-playoff football, once you're deep in pursuit of a Super Bowl and come up short, there's no guarantee you'll get back to a similar stage any time soon. Doesn't matter how elite your quarterback is.

So yeah. Glad Duke Tobin is open to a Burrow restructure. It's honestly the least the Bengals could do as far as going full-tilt toward a Super Bowl on that untapped frontier.

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