NFL insider believes Joe Burrow’s words will spark the Bengals to do exactly what he wants this offseason
And no, that doesn’t mean trade him away.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made it clear right before the end of the 2025 season that need to change this offseason. Whether it’s “think outside the box and get creative,” or simply bringing in guys that can improve the roster, sitting on their hands cannot be the Bengals’ status in free agency.
“We want to be competing for championships every year,” Burrow said during a press conference on Jan. 2. “We don’t want to be in the spot that we’re in now, so something’s got to change.”
Change appears to be on its way.
Bengals expected to be legitimate spenders in free agency
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that despite public perception of Burrow’s head-turning comments about his happiness in December, the Bengals are not trading their franchise quarterback.
What they will do, according to Rapoport’s expectations, is open up their checkbook in free agency.
“I do expect the Bengals to take his words to kind of use it to spur them on a little bit to really spend this offseason,” Rapoport said Sunday morning. “Now, Burrow was clear talking during the Pro Bowl he likes Cincinnati, saying basically during the press conference, he kind of just had a bad day. Those are allowed sometimes even at press conferences, but I expect the Bengals to enhance and support everything Joe Burrow does to spend probably more on the defense than anything else.”
Defense spending is not going to be a controversial topic in Cincinnati. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has been retained for a second season after his unit ranked 29th in EPA/play allowed and 27th in success rate allowed. The decision to bring back Golden, and the entire coaching staff for that matter, has placed the onus on the front office to ensure the roster has the necessary pieces Golden needs to improve the unit.
That didn’t happen last offseason. Nose tackle T.J. Slaton and linebacker Oren Burks weren’t enough to uplift a defense that was so reliant on younger players growing into roles.
The Bengals need help on every level of the defense. Multiple pass-rushers, a linebacker, and a safety are just the dire needs. Waiting on the 2026 NFL Draft isn’t going to solve their problems. It needs to happen a month earlier in free agency.
Burrow and the entire fan base is pushing for it to happen, and those plans seem to be in motion a month away from free agency opening.
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