The Cincinnati Bengals are becoming a hot destination for free agents, thanks to the incredible play of quarterback Joe Burrow.

There are plenty of free agents who want to play with Burrow after watching him lead the Bengals from a 4-11-1 season in 2020 to the Super Bowl in 2021.

An anonymous agent told Pro Football Focus reporter Doug Kyed at the NFL scouting combine this week that his client, a prominent free-agent tight end, wants to sign with the Bengals this offseason just so he can play with Burrow.

From PFF:

Completely unprompted, an agent for a prominent free-agent tight end told PFF recently how badly he wanted his client to sign with the Bengals and play with quarterback Joe Burrow.

The Bengals need to add a lot of talent — specifically along the offensive line — to their roster.

And Free agents want to be in Cincinnati.

It sets up for a dream offseason for the Bengals, right?

Well, there's just one problem.

Cincinnati is still using an outdated contract system that doesn't guarantee money beyond the signing bonus in most contracts.

According to ESPN, this is the reason the Bengals lost edge rusher Carl Lawson to the New York Jets last offseason — he wasn't comfortable with that kind of structure.

If Cincinnati is going to be "all in" and provide Burrow with what he needs to bring a Super Bowl Trophy to Ohio, then the front office needs to change the way they approach contracts.

This is unacceptable in 2022. This isn't how Super Bowl-winning franchises act.

The Bengals have dispelled a lot of myths about the franchise over the last two years. But if they want to take the next step and become a perennial Super Bowl contender, they need to need to change their contract structure and they need to change it immediately.

Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK