Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow continues to put pressure on the team ahead of a pivotal offseason.
Burrow once again called out the team’s front office during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” Thursday. The quarterback pushed the Bengals to give Trey Hendrickson a new contract to go along with re-signing Tee Higgins and extending Ja’Marr Chase.
“We need Trey back. We need to give him what he’s worth and what he deserves. He’s earned that,” Burrow said. “We need our young guys to come on. We need to draft well. We need guys to come in and produce immediately. We don’t have time to wait around.
“The cap is going up each year. We just got new TV deals. The cap will continue to go up. We all want to stay together, so we’re all going to do what it takes to do that. We have great players that have done great things and deserve to be paid. They’re going to be paid what they’re worth, whether we do it or somebody else. I hope we do it.”
Burrow media blitz, via @FirstTake pic.twitter.com/zei22SFYjQ
— Ari M (@AriMeirov) February 6, 2025
Burrow has been sending the Bengals messages since the season ended. Higgins is on the franchise tag and Chase is entering the final year of his rookie deal, so those will be expensive long-term deals to get done, especially with regard to Chase. Hendrickson has long been unhappy with his contract and is due for a huge raise after collecting 17.5 sacks for a second consecutive season.
Obviously, Burrow does not want to see top talent leave the organization. Whether the Bengals can actually afford to keep them all, however, remains to be seen.
