Joe Burrow got the nickname “Joe Cool” for a reason. The man stays calm both on the field and while waiting for his All-Pro teammates to get their contracts done.
The Cincinnati Bengals have been in a standoff all offseason with one of Burrow’s star teammates, defensive end Trey Hendrickson. With the two sides unable to come to an agreement just yet, the Bengals have begun fielding trade offers for the four-time Pro Bowler.
Burrow does not think it will come to that. The Bengals quarterback spoke to reporters on Monday night and was asked about Hendrickson still waiting for his contract with the season just around the corner.
“I think historically, these deals with us have gotten done closer to Week 1,” Burrow said, via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. “I signed on the Thursday before the first game. Ja’Marr [Chase’s talks] started to pick up, you know, that week before last year, too. We were able to Tee [Higgins] and Ja’Marr early this year, so that was great. But I think historically, the way we’ve done business is and that tends to pick up here in the next two weeks, so we’ll see.”
The Bengals’ defense (or lack thereof) was a huge anchor that dragged Cincinnati down during the 2024 campaign. Last season, the team allowed 25.5 points per contest, which ranked 26th in the NFL behind bottom-dwelling teams such as the 4-13 Las Vegas Raiders (25th), 4-13 New England Patriots (22nd), and 3-14 New York Giants (21st).
The Bengals finished with a winning record largely because Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and the rest of the offense carried the load for Cincinnati.
Hendrickson was one of the lone defensive bright spots for the Bengals last season. He led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Burrow doesn’t sound worried about losing Hendrickson just yet. But if a deal does not get done in Cincinnati, the Bengals’ defense could look even more putrid this coming season.
