Joe Burrow’s contract restructure all but confirms one of his teammates is staying on the Bengals’ 53-man roster
The Cincinnati Bengals created cap space like they’ve never done before with quarterback Joe Burrow’s contract restructure. That’s great news for nose tackle T.J. Slaton Jr.
The Cincinnati Bengals created cap space like they’ve never done before with quarterback Joe Burrow’s contract restructure.
Cincinnati gained $10 million in cap space this year by converting half of Burrow’s 2026 base salary into a bonus. That bonus is now being prorated over the next five years. It is costing them $2.5 million in space each year until 2030, but the savings in the present are worth the future cost.
Nose tackle T.J. Slaton Jr. can certainly attest to that.
Joe Burrow’s restructure should prevent T.J. Slaton Jr. from becoming cap casualty
The Bengals were previously operating with only $7.1 million in cap space prior to the Burrow restructure. Enough to be cap compliant, but not enough for them to do what they wanted for the remainder of the offseason, and going into the season.
Something had to be done, even if it meant releasing a player to gain space. Slaton appeared to be the most likely candidate for this move.
Slaton was the starting NT last year and is set to earn $6.16 million in cash this season. He’s effectively been replaced by Dexter Lawrence, who’s under contract for the next three years and is getting paid $22 million this year after Cincy traded its first-round pick for him in April.
The Bengals made Slaton a backup thanks to the Lawrence trade. He’s no longer a starter, but is still under the same contract that paid him like one. Releasing him would save Cincy $6.66 million in space. It’s not $10 million, but it’s the largest figure the club can save by releasing one player this offseason. His deal is set to expire next offseason.
Now that even more space has been created without terminating his deal, there’s no logical reason to move Slaton off the team. The Bengals are at just over $16 million in space, their usual amount at this point of the offseason, and have a great backup for Lawrence. We broke down how much that matters last month.
Overall good news for everyone
Slaton himself should also feel a lot better about his standing. He opened up during the early days of offseason workouts about the uncertainty of his future in town.
“Just putting one foot after the other—it is what it is,” Slaton told WLWT on May 26. “It is a business at the end of the day, and you have to control the things that you can control.
“If I can show up here every day, work hard, put my best foot forward, and have a good attitude, then that is what I’m going to do.”
Consider him rewarded for his mindset. Slaton is staying, and Cincinnati has the flexibility to hammer home contract extensions this summer. What more can you ask for?