Joe Burrow would like the Cincinnati Bengals to emulate the Philadelphia Eagles not only in hoisting a Lombardi Trophy but also in how Philly constructs its roster.
During an interview on the "Pardon My Take" podcast published on Wednesday, Burrow lauded the Eagles' ability to pay its vital players big money and still keep the core together.
"The Eagles are paying everybody," Burrow said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. "That seems like the way, whatever they're doing."
The comment continues Burrow's stumping for the Bengals to spend money to keep their veteran crew intact. Tee Higgins is set to be a free agent, and NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson seeks an extension. Cincy must also extend Ja'Marr Chase to a deal that likely makes him the highest-paid wideout in the NFL. Then, the new trade request from linebacker Germaine Pratt must be dealt with.
Philly is certainly a top-heavy roster with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson and others on big-money deals. Heck, Bryce Huff signed a three-year, $51 million contract and was hardly used.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman built a star-caliber roster by finding steals and deals -- All-Pro Zack Baun, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson -- and nailing his draft picks, particularly on defense. Philly had two stud rookie corners who tremendously aided their Super Bowl run. Unfortunately for Burrow, Cincinnati's attempts to stockpile DBs through the draft have mostly been swings and misses in recent years.
For Cincinnati to pay all its star players realistically, they'd likely have to deal with Burrow's contract. Averaging $55 million over two years, the Bengals QB is the second-highest-paid signal-caller in the NFL. His cap number for 2025 is $46.25 million.
Burrow has some suggestions on how to handle his contract.
"You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit," Burrow said. "You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. … And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus."
Those are all valid options. The question is whether Cincinnati, which isn't generally a can-kicking club, might take any of those avenues to appease its star quarterback.
