Lsst offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals traded star running back Joe Mixon because they didn't want to give him an extension. He went on to have an excellent season in Houston. This offseason, there are doubts that the team will be able to retain both star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on long-term deals. Star defensive end Trey Hendrickson also faces an uncertain future with the franchise, as he has only one year remaining on his current contract.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, the Super Bowl-champion Eagles have star pass-catchers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith locked up long-term, and they added stud superstar running back Saquon Barkley to the books last offseason while also paying Jalen Hurts like the franchise quarterback that he is.
Joe Burrow wants to see Cincinnati's front office use Philadelphia as a blueprint
Philadelphia's stacked roster is the result of consistently shrewd decision-making by general manager Howie Roseman, who has demonstrated an adept ability to play the salary cap like a fiddle. Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow would like to see Cincinnati's front office operate in a similar manner.
"The Eagles are paying everybody," Burrow said during a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, via ESPN . "That seems like the way. Whatever they're doing."
Burrow isn't just talking the talk. He's also made it clear that he's willing to do his part to help the Bengals keep everyone around by potentially restructuring his contract. What would that look like? The star quarterback offered some insight.
"You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit," he said. "You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus. You can also just take less money."
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If Burrow is indeed willing to make some financial sacrifices to in order to keep the band together, that's commendable, but the Bengals still have a long way to go before they should be mentioned in the same category as the Eagles. After all, they didn't even make the playoffs with all of those players in place in 2024.
One thing that has set Philadelphia apart recently is excellent drafting, especially when it comes to defensive players. The Eagles have added the likes of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean with their top picks in recent drafts, and all of those guys were able to come in and have immediate impacts.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are still waiting for some of their recent top picks to prove that they can contribute at a high level. So, in addition to salary cap gymnastics, scouting is another area that the Bengals could clearly benefit from by being a bit more like Philly.
Burrow isn't the first person to compare Cincinnati's front office to Philly's. Popular pundit Colin Cowherd recently highlighted the difference between the two organizations on air.
"They're the opposite of the Eagles," Cowherd said of Cincinnati. "They take no big swings, no big risks. It's like the Eagles and then Bengals are using two separate salary caps and banks."
Cowherd is correct. The Eagles and Bengals are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to how they're run, and that's unlikely to change any time soon, unfortunately for Burrow.