Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sounds as, in his own words, fired up as he's ever been about the direction of the team. He's making grand statements the Bengals as a catalyst for growing the game overseas during their trip to Madrid.
Burrow was taking part in the offseason program on Wednesday and took some time to speak to the media, which is exceedingly rare this far ahead of a season. Joe Shiesty echoed his recent sentiments in the afore-linked article about how great the front office did in building the roster.
But one of the funnier, most notable moments came via the topic of Trey Hendrickson signing with the AFC North nemesis Baltimore Ravens.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow fully grasps what drove Trey Hendrickson to join the rival Ravens in free agency
In a quick but very funny exchange, Burrow was asked about the notion of facing the Ravens at home in prime time (for once) in Week 17. While he's looking forward to how fun that'll be, Joe Brrr was also asked about Hendrickson choosing the Ravens in particular. Here was the response:
"Not very surprising. Because I know Trey, I love Trey, and I just know how he operates."
Joe Burrow couldn't help but laugh when asked if he was surprised about Trey Hendrickson going to the Ravens. pic.twitter.com/gyyLgdf5aw
— FOX19 NOW (@FOX19) May 20, 2026
Translation: Hendrickson felt disrespected by the organization for not being paid what he was worth in the midst of two straight 17.5-sack seasons. The front office dragged their feet in perpetuity, forced multiple trade requests, and downright slighted their best free-agent signing ever.
As messy as the end of that relationship was, and as much as Cincinnati's brass botched it, the departure of Hendrickson set the stage to add more pieces in free agency and trade for Dexter Lawrence.
Not saying what the Bengals did was right. Far from it. But in order to vindicate their handling of Hendrickson, they needed to make something happen. They couldn't roll into 2026 without a major defensive overhaul. To the credit of Duke Tobin and the personnel department, they were aggressive in making sure the defense improved.
We'll see how it all comes together on the field, but at least this is good progress on the team-building front. The oft-conservative Bengals failed Burrow en route to three straight missed playoff trips. Now, they have a real defense (on paper) and all 11 starters returning on offense.
Hendrickson will have no shortage of motivational fuel to prove Cincinnati wrong for letting him go and doing so in the way that they did. He has a defensive wizard as a head coach in Jesse Minter. The AFC North title could be on the line come Week 17.
Burrow said Baltimore is always circled on the calendar as a marquee matchup. The intrigue of a quarterback duel between him and Lamar Jackson, along with the innate divisional rivalry, is enough to get juiced up about. Now there's the Trey Hendrickson of it all added to the mix. Should be a whole lot of fun to ring in 2027 on New Year's Eve at Paycor Stadium.
Add us as a preferred source on Google