Back in December, Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow made some cryptic comments about the Bengals' ability to re-sign Tee Higgins in free agency.
"I am confident we are going to be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back. That I’m going to do what it takes to get him back and so is he," Burrow said at the time. "We’ve had those talks. Those are going to be offseason discussions but I think we are excited about that opportunity."
Prior to those comments, it felt like a foregone conclusion that Higgins was going to sign elsewhere, but Burrow's confidence kind of shifted the conversation.
Joe Burrow confirms that he's willing to restructure his contract to open up cap space for other key contributors
At the time, we speculated that Burrow was hinting at potentially restructuring his contract in order to open up cap space for others. What else could he have meant when he said, "I'm going to do what it takes to get him back and so is he?" It certainly sounded like he was saying he was willing to make a financial sacrifice in order to keep talent in town.
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As it turns out, we were right. During a recent appearance on Breakfast Ball, Burrow said that the Bengals have the cap space to keep key contributors like Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and Mike Gesicki in Cincinnati, and he also confirmed that he would be willing to restructure his contract in order to make that happen.
“We have the cap space to get it done. I want to make it happen," Burrow said. "Everybody involved, Trey, Tee, Ja’Marr and Mike Gesicki, we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that I think you can get those things done.”
When asked about his willingness to restructure his own deal, Burrow simply said, "Of course."
Joe Burrow says he’d "of course" restructure his contract to keep the Bengals' core together, and he has faith in the Bengals' ownership 🙌
— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) February 6, 2025
"I do. We have the cap space to get it done. Trey, Tee, Ja'Marr, and Mike G – we all want to play together." pic.twitter.com/F4YFMSo5pA
So, there you have it. Many were wondering how the Bengals could possibly keep all of their guys, and now we might have an answer. What a restructure for Burrow's contract could look like remains to be seen, but maybe Cincinnati's front office will be able to get creative.
Burrow signed a monster, five-year, $275 million extension with the Bengals in September of 2023 and he'll be entering the first year of that deal in 2025. He deserves every dollar of that deal for what he's meant to the team. But, he's showing his selfless side and putting the team first by being willing to restructure his contract, which should make Bengals fans respect him even more.