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Jun. 17—CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow said he has always been open about "doing whatever it takes to win," and that's why he was willing to restructure his contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals were able to free up about $10 million in cap space this year by reworking the five-year, $275 million extension Burrow originally signed ahead of the 2023 season to keep him under contract through 2029.
By converting a chunk of his 2026 base salary into an upfront bonus, the Bengals were able to spread the financial hit over the final years of his contract. Burrow's cap hit for this season originally was set to be nearly $48 million. Some of that money now moves into void years beyond the life of the contract.
"It opened up some cap space, which is good for us," Burrow said Wednesday, June 17, the final day of the team's offseason workout program, which originally was set to end Thursday. "I have been open about how I am willing to do whatever they need me to do so they can operate freely and will continue doing that as needed."
Burrow said the Bengals filled just about every hole they had this offseason, and he was willing to do his part to ease the financial burden that especially increased with the blockbuster trade for Dexter Lawrence.
The organization showed a championship mentality with its approach to free agency and the draft — giving up the No. 10 overall pick for Lawrence — and Burrow has spent a lot of time this offseason thinking about ways he can help lift the team to the next level, as well.
That showed with his approach to the offseason workout program, where he stayed regularly after practices to get extra throwing in with receivers. He was so late getting in from the practice fields Tuesday, by almost an hour, that he missed his scheduled press conference and it had to be pushed to Wednesday.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor then informed the team Wednesday morning they were done with practices for the spring. Mandatory minicamp was supposed to end Thursday, but Taylor said the staff felt like they had accomplished everything they wanted.
Burrow felt like his extra practice time was productive, too. He said he was "just trying to get better."
"Every way imaginable: Mind, body, soul, just trying to improve myself and be there for my teammates and build team camaraderie," Burrow said. "Obviously, I am going to improve my individual skills and strength and speed, but trying to build that culture and that vibe in the locker room you need to win a championship is just as important."
Burrow said he uses that time after practice to experiment with things, seeing how different throws work through trial and error.
When he was younger, there was more to improve in every area of his game, Burrow said, but now to improve, it takes getting "really nitty-gritty into the technical details of how your body moves, how you hold the ball, how the ball is coming out, your body position, when you are moving. Now is the time to think critically about that and see what progress can be made."
The extra time with teammates was especially valuable this spring, even with the entire offense returning, because of what Burrow sees as a greater need for team chemistry to get where he and the Bengals want as an organization.
"I just think early in my career, it was a lot easier," Burrow said, of how he views team chemistry. "We had a really young team, a lot of us had come in together and been through it together. Now we have so many varying ages on the team from guys that we're counting on, and we've brought in some veterans too, that certainly has made it easier, but you know, building trust between a 21-year-old, first-year player and a 31-, 32-year-old, nine-,10-year vet, that's a difficult task and job as a quarterback to try to bridge those gaps where you can, and that's something I've focused on. I think if you want to be a championship-caliber team, then you have to build those relationships and build that trust, so you know you can have hard conversations about things that are going on on the field, as well as off."
Burrow said he's become more vocal in the locker room "in a mean way" to make sure each individual player understands the level of urgency that is required of everyone who steps on the field.
That has taken him out of his comfort zone a bit, but it's necessary because all he can think about is winning a Super Bowl. Burrow said teammates have responded well, and he gets the same feeling about this team as he did his 2019 college national championship team at LSU.
"I certainly feel this way about this team," Burrow said. "I think we have guys that have been there and done that and also guys who have had a lot of individual success and not necessarily the team success that we're looking for. Guys like Dexter (Lawrence) and guys like Jonathan (Allen), bringing guys like that in is so advantageous to a lot of different people. Players trying to improve makes it easier on coaches. We have guys with so much talent and I'm just excited to put it all together."
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The Bengals were able to free up about $10 million in cap space this year by reworking the five-year, $275 million extension Burrow originally signed ahead of the 2023 season to keep him under contract through 2029.
By converting a chunk of his 2026 base salary into an upfront bonus, the Bengals were able to spread the financial hit over the final years of his contract. Burrow's cap hit for this season originally was set to be nearly $48 million. Some of that money now moves into void years beyond the life of the contract.
"It opened up some cap space, which is good for us," Burrow said Wednesday, June 17, the final day of the team's offseason workout program, which originally was set to end Thursday. "I have been open about how I am willing to do whatever they need me to do so they can operate freely and will continue doing that as needed."
Burrow said the Bengals filled just about every hole they had this offseason, and he was willing to do his part to ease the financial burden that especially increased with the blockbuster trade for Dexter Lawrence.
The organization showed a championship mentality with its approach to free agency and the draft — giving up the No. 10 overall pick for Lawrence — and Burrow has spent a lot of time this offseason thinking about ways he can help lift the team to the next level, as well.
That showed with his approach to the offseason workout program, where he stayed regularly after practices to get extra throwing in with receivers. He was so late getting in from the practice fields Tuesday, by almost an hour, that he missed his scheduled press conference and it had to be pushed to Wednesday.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor then informed the team Wednesday morning they were done with practices for the spring. Mandatory minicamp was supposed to end Thursday, but Taylor said the staff felt like they had accomplished everything they wanted.
Burrow felt like his extra practice time was productive, too. He said he was "just trying to get better."
"Every way imaginable: Mind, body, soul, just trying to improve myself and be there for my teammates and build team camaraderie," Burrow said. "Obviously, I am going to improve my individual skills and strength and speed, but trying to build that culture and that vibe in the locker room you need to win a championship is just as important."
Burrow said he uses that time after practice to experiment with things, seeing how different throws work through trial and error.
When he was younger, there was more to improve in every area of his game, Burrow said, but now to improve, it takes getting "really nitty-gritty into the technical details of how your body moves, how you hold the ball, how the ball is coming out, your body position, when you are moving. Now is the time to think critically about that and see what progress can be made."
The extra time with teammates was especially valuable this spring, even with the entire offense returning, because of what Burrow sees as a greater need for team chemistry to get where he and the Bengals want as an organization.
"I just think early in my career, it was a lot easier," Burrow said, of how he views team chemistry. "We had a really young team, a lot of us had come in together and been through it together. Now we have so many varying ages on the team from guys that we're counting on, and we've brought in some veterans too, that certainly has made it easier, but you know, building trust between a 21-year-old, first-year player and a 31-, 32-year-old, nine-,10-year vet, that's a difficult task and job as a quarterback to try to bridge those gaps where you can, and that's something I've focused on. I think if you want to be a championship-caliber team, then you have to build those relationships and build that trust, so you know you can have hard conversations about things that are going on on the field, as well as off."
Burrow said he's become more vocal in the locker room "in a mean way" to make sure each individual player understands the level of urgency that is required of everyone who steps on the field.
That has taken him out of his comfort zone a bit, but it's necessary because all he can think about is winning a Super Bowl. Burrow said teammates have responded well, and he gets the same feeling about this team as he did his 2019 college national championship team at LSU.
"I certainly feel this way about this team," Burrow said. "I think we have guys that have been there and done that and also guys who have had a lot of individual success and not necessarily the team success that we're looking for. Guys like Dexter (Lawrence) and guys like Jonathan (Allen), bringing guys like that in is so advantageous to a lot of different people. Players trying to improve makes it easier on coaches. We have guys with so much talent and I'm just excited to put it all together."
Continue reading...
