Each AFC Team’s Largest 2026 Cap Hit
Let’s begin with a look at the AFC…
Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers ($46.35MM)
Herbert’s interception total climbed from three in 2024 to 13 last year, but one of the league’s worst offensive lines contributed to the increase in turnovers. The Chargers went the entire season without stud left tackle Rashawn Slater and most of it without excellent right tackle Joe Alt. Herbert took 54 sacks, the second-highest total in the game, behind a porous group of blockers. The 28-year-old still helped the Chargers to 11 wins and a playoff berth, but he and the offense flamed out in a 16-3 wild-card round loss to the Patriots.
The Chargers have since helped Herbert’s cause by replacing offensive coordinator Greg Roman with Mike McDaniel, snagging two quality tight ends (Charlie Kolar and David Njoku) to join Oronde Gadsden, and making interior O-line upgrades. Most importantly, Slater and Alt will be back. The arrow is pointing up for Herbert as he goes into the third season of a five-year, $262.5MM extension.
Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs ($44.85MM)
Patrick Mahomes‘ mega extension doesn’t kick in until 2027, leaving Jones atop the Chiefs’ cap hierarchy for another season. Jones, who is celebrating his 32nd birthday on Friday, continued to notch strong production during a shocking down year for the Chiefs. He racked up 25 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
While Pro Football Focus “only” ranked Jones’ overall performance 29th among 127 qualifying interior defensive linemen, he earned the site’s second-best pass-rushing grade at his position. Jones saw his three-year streak of first-team All-Pro selections end, but he made his seventh straight Pro Bowl in 2025.
Josh Allen, QB, Bills ($44.29MM)
Although he is about to enter his age-30 season with zero Super Bowl appearances, Allen remains on the shortlist of elite QBs. Frustrated with the franchise’s inability to capitalize on Allen’s presence, owner Terry Pegula fired longtime head coach Sean McDermott after an overtime loss to the Broncos in the divisional round. Allen played the first nine years of his career under McDermott. He is now playing for a familiar replacement in Joe Brady, who was Buffalo’s QBs coach from 2022-23 and the team’s offensive coordinator from 2024-25. Brady will continue to call the plays as a head coach.
The Bills’ Allen-led offense has never had issues scoring points with Brady at the controls. However, they will not get over the AFC hump and reach a Super Bowl unless their defense does a better job keeping points off the board in the postseason (if they get there). Allen has gone 8-7 in the playoffs despite a 101.5 passer rating, the fifth-best mark ever. The defense allowed a staggering 33.2 points per game in the Bills’ last six playoff defeats.
T.J. Watt, OLB, Steelers ($42MM)
The Steelers gave a nine-figure extension to backup outside linebacker Nick Herbig a month ago. In the immediate aftermath, there was speculation about the Steelers trading Watt ahead of his age-32 season. However, Watt (and fellow OLB Alex Highsmith) will stick around for at least another year.
At the height of his powers, Watt amassed 22.5 sacks en route to Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021. He isn’t on that otherworldly level anymore, but Watt remains a defensive cornerstone. The eight-time Pro Bowler chipped in 19 QB hits, 10 TFL, eight pass deflections, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions in 14 games in 2025. He was PFF’s 31st-ranked edge defender among 119 qualifiers.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns ($40.96MM)
This is the only real albatross cap hit on the list. The Browns have been stuck with Watson since they astonishingly traded three first-round picks to the Texans in 2022 and then gave him a fully guaranteed $230MM extension. While Watson was a three-time Pro Bowler at the time, he also sat out the previous season amid a contract dispute and dozens of sexual assault allegations. Watson’s off-field conduct led to an 11-game suspension, which he served at the beginning of what has been a disastrous Browns tenure.
He made 19 forgettable starts before rupturing his Achilles in October 2024. He ruptured it again while rehabbing in January 2025. Watson missed all of last season, but to the chagrin of Browns fans, he is returning as the front-runner to win the starting job over Shedeur Sanders. Although this is the last season of Watson’s ill-fated contract, he will remain on the Browns’ books until 2029.
Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals ($37.6MM)
Burrow has ranked among the sport’s top passers throughout his six-year career, but injuries have held him out of sizable portions of three seasons. Most recently, a toe injury sidelined him for nine games last year. The Bengals went 1-8 without Burrow, 6-11 overall, and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. The team is a popular pick to rebound in 2026 as long as the 29-year-old Burrow stays healthy. It’s easy to see why. To complement the superb offensive core of Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown, the club has made multiple splashes to upgrade what was one of the league’s worst defenses in 2025. Defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, edge rushers Boye Mafe and Cashius Howell, and safety Bryan Cook are now in the fold.
Burrow is excited to get some much-needed help on the other side of the ball. “I think this is the most talented roster that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Burrow declared in May.
Maxx Crosby, DE, Raiders ($35.79MM)
Crosby remains the Raiders’ largest cap charge, though they came very close to cutting ties with him in March. They agreed to trade the five-time Pro Bowler to the Ravens for two first-round picks, but it collapsed when Crosby failed the Ravens’ physical. At that point, Crosby was just two months into his recovery from surgery on a torn left meniscus. With Crosby further distancing himself from that procedure, teams have continued to show interest in acquiring him. As of now, though, he remains on track to open his age-29 season donning the Silver and Black.
Despite playing through knee problems last year, Crosby remained a force. He piled up 73 tackles, 28 TFL, 20 QB hits, 10 sacks, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a pick in 15 games. If Crosby continues looking like his usual self in September and October, he will likely be popular in trade rumors leading up to the Nov. 3 deadline.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens ($34.9MM)
Jackson didn’t quite look like his two-time MVP-winning self during a truncated 2025. The all-world dual threat entered the season with an eye-popping 70-24 record as a starter, but he went just 6-7 last year while battling knee, ankle, toe and back injuries. After going 8-9 and narrowly missing the playoffs, the Ravens fired long-tenured head coach John Harbaugh. Jackson played the first eight years of his career under Harbaugh, whom the Ravens replaced with defensive guru Jesse Minter.
If healthy, there is little doubt Jackson will rebound and lead a talented Baltimore roster back to contention. The main question is whether the Ravens and Jackson will eventually work out an extension. Both sides seem optimistic it will eventually happen, but with no agreement in place when the new league year opened in March, the Ravens restructured his current pact. While the move lowered Jackson’s cap hit by $15MM and created $40MM in spending space, it left the two parties without long-term security. As things stand, Jackson is only under wraps through 2027.
Milton Williams, DT, Patriots ($28.5MM)
In March 2025, a few weeks after winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles, Williams moved to New England on a four-year, $104MM payday with $63MM guaranteed. Williams and Christian Barmore comprised a formidable duo up front, though an ankle injury limited the former to 12 games in his first season with the Patriots. While tallying eight TFL, eight QB hits and 3.5 sacks, Williams helped the Pats to a stunning 14-3 regular-season record. The 290-pounder then added seven tackles and three sacks over four playoff games, including Williams’ second straight Super Bowl. He was denied another championship, though, as the Patriots were no match for the Seahawks in a 29-13 defeat.
DeForest Buckner, DT, Colts ($26.6MM)
A cavalcade of major injuries, including Buckner’s, led to the Colts’ downfall in 2025. After starting a white-hot 7-1, the injury-plagued club finished 8-9 and extended its playoff drought to a half-decade. Buckner missed seven games with a neck issue, depriving the Colts of one of their defensive linchpins. With the 32-year-old still in recovery as camp approaches, he is not a sure thing to take the field when the Colts kick off their season against the Ravens on Sept. 13. This much is clear: Indianapolis will have a much better chance of rebounding from last year’s Murphy’s Law second half if Buckner returns to full strength.
Dan Moore Jr., LT, Titans ($26.35MM)
While Moore has been a career-long starter since he entered the league as the Steelers’ fourth-round pick in 2021, the Titans turned heads when they handed him a four-year, $82MM deal with $50MM in guarantees in March 2025. Jones went on to start in all 16 of his appearances in his first Titans season, but he wasn’t particularly effective. PFF charged him with allowing eight sacks and taking seven penalties, and he ended the year as the site’s 57th-ranked tackle out of 78 qualifiers. Thanks in part to Moore’s struggles, QB Cam Ward took a league-high 55 sacks as a rookie. The Titans are counting on Ward, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, to make a Year 2 leap. Better blindside protection would increase Ward’s chances of breaking out.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars ($24MM)
After going No. 1 overall in the 2021 draft, Lawrence put together an uneven first four seasons in the NFL. It would have been fair to regard the former Clemson star’s career as somewhat underwhelming at this time a year ago, but then Lawrence found a new gear under offensive-minded head coach Liam Coen.
With Coen in his first year on the job, the Jaguars stormed to a 13-4 record and won the AFC South. Lawrence bounced back from an injury-limited 2024 to start all 17 games. In the process, he eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark as a passer for the third time and set career highs in touchdowns (38; 29 passing, nine rushing) and rushing yards (359). The 26-year-old earned a fifth-place finish in the MVP race for his efforts.
Mike McGlinchey, RT, Broncos ($23.78)
The Broncos lured McGlinchey from the 49ers with a five-year, $87.5MM offer in March 2023. The investment has worked out well for Denver. McGlinchey missed four games in 2024, but he returned to start all 17 games last year and help the Broncos to 14 wins and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Aside from quarterback Bo Nix, no Broncos offensive player logged more snaps than McGlinchey. The 6-foot-8, 315-pounder played the second-most snaps (1,127) among all offensive tackles, per PFF, which ranked his performance 18th among 84 qualifying bookends.
Danielle Hunter, EDGE, Texans ($16.41MM)
This is a steal of a cap hit for one of the league’s most dominant pass rushers, but it is due to climb when Hunter’s $40.1MM extension kicks in next year. In the meantime, Hunter and fellow pass rusher extraordinaire Will Anderson Jr. should continue menacing opposing offenses in 2026. Hunter will turn 32 in October, but there are absolutely no signs of decline.
He amassed 15 sacks in 2025, his fourth straight season in the double digits and seventh in his 10-year career. The 6-5, 263-pounder also registered 22 QB hits, 15 TFL and three forced fumbles en route to second-team All-Pro honors. Hunter was PFF’s fifth-rated edge defender, while Anderson came in first. The Hunter-Anderson duo is the envy of the AFC.
Brandon Stephens, CB, Jets ($13.97MM)
The Jets brought in the former Raven on a three-year, $36MM agreement in March 2025. Unfortunately for the Jets and Stephens, their defense sputtered through a horrid season. The unit inexplicably failed to intercept a single pass, which was the second straight year Stephens went without a pick. Stephens tallied 73 tackles and nine passes defensed in 16 starts, but on 85 targets against him, opposing QBs completed 71.8% of attempts and put up a lofty 134.3 passer rating. As alarming as that looks, PFF still ranked Stephens a respectable 35th among 106 corners.
The Jets have since hired Brian Duker as their D-coordinator, though head coach/former defensive back Aaron Glenn will call the plays. Perhaps Stephens will benefit from Glenn’s expertise. Regardless, the 28-year-old remains a surefire starter going into his second season in New York. It is TBD whether free agent pickup Nahshon Wright or Azareye’h Thomas will start on the other side.
Zach Sieler, DT, Dolphins ($11.42MM)
The Dolphins no longer employ Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey or Minkah Fitzpatrick, leaving Sieler’s modest cap hit as the highest among their current players. Sieler is locked in on the three-year, $67.75MM extension he inked last August. Miami is now in the early stages of a full-blown rebuild under a new regime, but the 30-year-old has made it clear he wants to be a Dolphin for the rest of his career.
As for his recent work, Sieler entered last season aiming for a third straight 10-sack campaign. He ended up with 5.5 over a full 17-start season in which he led Dolphins D-linemen in snaps (780). Sieler also pitched in 47 tackles, 10 TFL and nine QB hits. PFF graded Sieler as a top-20 interior lineman in both 2022 and ’24, but he dropped to 58th (among 127 qualifiers) last season. Sieler will aim for a return to top form under defensive-minded head coach Jeff Hafley, who will call the plays, and DC Sean Duggan.
Information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.
Bengals Exec. VP Katie Blackburn Voices Confidence In GM Duke Tobin, HC Zac Taylor
The Browns, Ravens, and Steelers all made sweeping organization changes this offseason, but unlike their AFC North rivals, the Bengals are staying the course with de facto general manager Duke Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor.
Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn, the team’s No. 2 executive after president and principal owner Mike Brown, backed her team’s leadership in an interview on Monday. (Blackburn is Brown’s daughter. Her husband, Troy, serves as vice president and their daughters, Caroline and Elizabeth, were promoted to the same titles this offseason, per ESPN’s Ben Baby.)
“We feel good about them for a lot of reasons,” Blackburn said (via ESPN’s Ben Baby). “There’s also that element of consistency that hopefully will prove out to be beneficial, too.”
Tobin and Taylor led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in 2021 and followed it up with a 12-4 season and another AFC championship game appearance the following year. In the three years since, though, Cincinnati has gone 24-27 with no playoff appearances. Injuries to star quarterback Joe Burrow, who appeared in just 18 games between the 2023 and 2025 season, have certainly played a role, but so has a defense that consistently ranked among the league’s bottom 10 units.
Blackburn also expressed confidence in the team’s roster, which she described as “a strong base to work around.” Elizabeth Blackburn specifically mentioned the acquisition of Dexter Lawrence from the Giants, who she described as a “pretty special player who can do a lot for your defense.”
“They are rarely available,” she added. “Those are the types of moves you figure out a way.”
Burrow himself voiced excitement about the Bengals’ offseason moves, saying (via Baby) the team is has built best roster of his career. He also singled out the Lawrence trade, noting that potential rookies available with the No. 10 pick Cincinnati sent to New York would not have the same impact in 2026.
There have been rumors in the past about Burrow’s dissatisfaction in Cincinnati, but the move for Lawrence is a sign of commitment from the front office to capitalizing on their current window of contention. If the Bengals can field even a middling defense, their high-octane offense can likely power them to a playoff spot, and maybe beyond.
Bengals Restructure Joe Burrow’s Deal
For the first time since it was signed in 2023, Joe Burrow‘s contract is being adjusted. The Bengals have worked out a restructure with their quarterback, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter report.
Today’s move will create roughly $10MM in cap space for 2026. Cincinnati entered Tuesday near the bottom of the NFL in terms of available funds ($7.17MM). Burrow’s cap charge – which was scheduled to check in at $48MM, the second-highest in the NFL, will now be reduced, though.
Throughout what has proven to be a busy offseason on the defensive side of the ball, the Bengals preferred to avoid making any adjustments to the Burrow pact. As Paul Dehner of The Athletic notes, the team felt working through its spring priorities would be feasible without deferring some of Burrow’s cap charges into the future. Nevertheless, the Dexter Lawrence trade (and subsequent one-year extension) in particular limited Cincinnati’s financial flexibility for the short term.
Burrow signed his extension during an offseason which saw the title of league’s highest-paid quarterback change hands multiple times. After seeing Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert each move the bar with their respective second contracts, Burrow landed $55MM per year on average. The former No. 1 pick’s deal runs through 2029, and it is scheduled to carry cap charges as high as $60MM by its final year.
2026 has seen the acquisition of Lawrence but other veterans, including edge rusher Boye Mafe and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. Spending on those newcomers led to limited cap flexibility for summer additions, but this Burrow restructure will create the room for a modest addition or two. The Bengals’ front office is of course also looking into a number of extensions, including the case of cornerback DJ Turner.
Health will no doubt continue to be a major talking point for Burrow, 29, entering the 2026 season. Expectations are high for Cincinnati given the team’s continuity on offense and and aggressive pursuit of defensive upgrades, but Burrow’s contact will remain a key presence in the short and long term with respect to its financial planning.
Bengals Could Restructure QB Joe Burrow’s Contract
At this point in the calendar, NFL teams have conducted the majority of their offseason business, so creating cap space is not as pressing of a need as it was in early March. Still, a club has to leave itself some flexibility to make additions when necessary, and such flexibility is often achieved through a restructure or two.
The Bengals are presently near the bottom of the league in cap room (just over $7MM), and they could go the restructure route to create a little cushion. Quarterback Joe Burrow’s ~$48MM cap charge stands out as the most obvious target, and director of player personnel Duke Tobin suggested he may seek to rework his franchise passer’s contract.
“Those are things that we’re working through after the draft,” Tobin said at the end of last month (via Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Enquirer). “We’ve layered in challenges, but we’re up to them, and we do it because we have the opportunity to add the right people and the right player.”
The challenges Tobin referenced include the limited cap space that accompanies high-dollar expenditures. In order to address the defensive shortcomings that have held the Bengals back over the past several seasons, Tobin authorized eight-figure deals for EDGE Boye Mafe, safety Bryan Cook, and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen in March, and he also took on defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence’s hefty contract via a pre-draft trade with the Giants (Tobin extended Lawrence’s pact shortly thereafter).
Tobin says his team is “damn close” to the top of the NFL in terms of roster spending, and Burrow’s $25.25MM base salary for 2026 is a big part of that. As Brennan observes, Burrow said last year that he was amenable to reworking the five-year, $275MM deal he inked in 2023 in order to make room for wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and it stands to reason he would be similarly willing this year.
After all, the types of restructure that would be in play here have no worse than a neutral impact on the player, so they tend to be drama-free transactions. Burrow’s case is perhaps a bit different in light of some comments he made in December, comments that briefly led to retirement and trade speculation. While such rumors were promptly quashed, subsequent reports suggested Burrow was nonetheless trying to put some pressure on the Bengals by being candid about his dissatisfaction.
If that was the case, the historically-conservative franchise’s active offseason indicates Burrow achieved his goal (just as he did when Cincinnati re-signed Higgins while simultaneously greenlighting a record-setting deal for Chase). A restructure would make it more difficult for the Bengals to trade Burrow in the near future, and though a trade seems like little more than a pipe dream for interested teams – who were expected to chase that dream just the same – Burrow’s acquiescence to a reworked deal would seem to further solidify his status in Cincinnati.
Joe Burrow Supports Bengals Retaining HC Zac Taylor
Joe Burrow let his feelings about Bengals personnel matters be known last year, when he offered staunch support for the team extending Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson. The superstar quarterback went 1-for-2 on that front, but the effort did show the power he wields in the building.
Burrow comments about a lack of satisfaction presently raised eyebrows around the league, as the Bengals are wrapping a third straight season that will fall short of the playoffs. While voicing an expectation he’d be part of the 2026 Bengals, Burrow did not shut the door on potentially playing elsewhere down the road. Some took these efforts as Burrow applying pressure on the Bengals, but the heat the QB may or may not be putting on the franchise does not appear to pertain to Zac Taylor.
The seventh-year Cincinnati HC has Burrow’s full support, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Taylor has taken criticism for not having the Bengals ready to play early in seasons, as a host of September losses have hurt in playoff pushes, but he has been at the helm throughout Burrow’s career. Burrow does not appear eager to transition to a new system, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report Taylor is indeed safe for 2026.
Taylor, 42, made the rare jump from the quarterbacks coach level to HC, vaulting from the Rams’ QBs coach to Bengals HC. While Taylor’s first year went poorly, the Bengals timed their faceplant well. The 2-14 season landed them Burrow at No. 1 overall, much to the Dolphins’ chagrin, and he transformed the franchise’s fortunes.
Taylor guided the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI and then had them in the 2022 AFC championship game, where a crucial final-minute late hit helped the Chiefs escape the visitors’ charge. Since then, however, the Bengals have fallen off the AFC’s top tier. Burrow injuries in 2023 and ’25 defined those seasons, but he played throughout 2024 and saw the team’s defensive issues deny a playoff spot.
The Bengals had been expected to neither tinker with their HC or GM roles, with de facto GM Duke Tobin also expected back. While Burrow throwing support behind Taylor is certainly important for the sideline leader’s status, is the passer’s perceived issue with the front office? Tobin has been with Cincinnati since 1999, being an integral part of Mike Brown‘s operation. The Bengals have drifted southward in the NFL hierarchy during the mid-2020s, and Burrow has let it be known he is not exactly thrilled with the way things have gone.
Teams are expected to call the Bengals on Burrow, but that is unlikely to matter much. Burrow is one of the game’s best quarterbacks and plays for an organization known for digging its heels in against player demands. See: the Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart 2025 matters for recent examples. The Bengals remain committed to Burrow, and based on Sunday morning’s classification of Taylor’s status, the head coach has an important backer. But a turnaround will need to come in 2026. Taylor and Tobin will be the ones leading the way yet again.
Teams Expected To Call Bengals On QB Joe Burrow
Four years ago, a second-year starting quarterback in Joe Burrow was following up a rookie campaign that ended with season-ending knee surgery to repair tears to his ACL and MCL and damage to his PCL and meniscus by preparing for a playoff run that would ultimately see the Bengals fall four points shy of its first ever Super Bowl victory. Still, somehow, teams will likely be calling Cincinnati this offseason with sincere belief that they may be able to trade for the former No. 1 overall pick, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.
Injuries and defensive woes have caused some turbulence for the young passer in Cincinnati this year. We have seen these things affect him in the past, with injuries limiting him to 10 games in his rookie season then again in 2023 and with last year’s bottom-10 defense preventing a campaign fueled by his MVP-worthy efforts to even extend into the playoffs.
This year, though, we’ve heard Burrow voice some understandable concerns that could point to a small, potential rift, leaving a thread at which several teams seem eager to pull.
After Burrow made a faster-than-expected return from an injury that many expected to end his 2025 season, the 29-year-old made some comments that drew many around the media into speculation that he may be contemplating retirement or struggling with his mental health. Burrow had simply expressed that “if (he wants) to keep doing this, (he has) to have fun doing this.” He looked back at how much he’d gone through, and asked, “If it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for?”
He made sure to specify later on that his comments were aimed at football in general and did not specifically have anything to do with his relationship with the Bengals. He also cleared up that he wasn’t considering ending his career so early, à la Andrew Luck. As the weeks wore on, reports began to naturally point to Burrow remaining in Cincinnati next year, despite the team’s struggling defense leading to another failed bid at a postseason.
Our previously most recent update on the matter — coming just yesterday — continued to emphasize that there is no indication Burrow wants out of Cincinnati or that the Bengals have any intention of moving him. Jones report from today underlines that fact, as well. Regardless, Jones’ sources report anticipation that “several teams will attempt a pursuit of trading for Burrow in the offseason,” with one executive candidly stating that “there are probably only a handful (of teams) that wouldn’t, at least, make an attempt.”
Burrow does own one similarity with Luck in that he is the same age Luck was at the time of his sudden retirement, but Jones pointed to another comparison. Jones linked Burrow to another former No. 1 overall pick that, despite decent individual success, was unable to get over the hump in Cincinnati to win a Super Bowl: Carson Palmer.
While Burrow boasts two Comeback Player of the Year awards that Palmer didn’t win, both only had two Pro Bowl selections on their résumé at this stage in their careers. Following his seventh year with the Bengals, Palmer requested a trade. When team owner/president Mike Brown turned down Palmer’s request, Palmer threatened to retire and followed through on his threat in an interview during the 2011 NFL Draft. As a result, Cincinnati drafted TCU passer Andy Dalton in the second round and, when Palmer failed to report to training camp, traded the veteran to Oakland — for first- and second-round picks — before the October trade deadline.
Now, clearly, Burrow has not requested a trade or made any such threats, but if every team in the NFL — apart from a handful of teams — is vying for his services and he sees an opportunity to have fun playing football elsewhere, the blueprint exists for history to repeat itself, though the Raiders likely wouldn’t be the beneficiaries this time around. For now, though, the Bengals should continue to nurture their relationship with the star quarterback in preparation for the wave of suitors sure to pursue this offseason.
Latest On Bengals, Joe Burrow
Nearing the end of an injury-wrecked 2025 campaign, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will miss out on postseason play for the third year in a row. It’s not what he or the Bengals envisioned when they won the AFC in 2021 and followed it up with a second straight conference title game appearance the next season.
A toe injury kept Burrow out for nine games earlier this season. Since he returned in Week 13, questions about Burrow’s future in Cincinnati have persisted.
Burrow shut down the possibility of an Andrew Luck-esque early retirement or a trade request a couple of weeks ago. The 29-year-old added last week that he expects to remain with the Bengals in 2026. Indeed, there’s no indication Burrow wants out of Cincinnati, per Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
“I truly think he wants to be here,” a team source told Fowler.
Assuming that’s the case, the Bengals will hope for a healthier season from Burrow in 2026. That alone would give them a far better chance to contend, but it may not be enough without significant improvements elsewhere. Consider that in 2024, Burrow’s lone 17-game season to date, the Bengals only managed nine wins despite brilliant production from the two-time Pro Bowler.
The Bengals are 4-2 in Burrow’s starts this year, but he reportedly believes the team has to “play perfect” to win. A defense that ranks last in the NFL in points allowed and 31st in yardage surrendered has been a major problem. The expected departure of defensive end Trey Hendrickson in free agency would only add to the Bengals’ issues on that side of the ball.
Burrow endorsed a Hendrickson extension last spring, but a multiyear pact didn’t come together. After a contentious battle, the Bengals agreed to increase Hendrickson’s 2025 salary from $16MM to $30MM. He only played seven games this year before undergoing season-ending core muscle surgery.
The Bengals are on track to enter the offseason with a projected $110MM in cap space (via Zak Koeppel of NFL.com). That could help the team retain Hendrickson if the two sides are open to continuing their relationship. Regardless, the Bengals will have plenty of money and a high first-round draft pick to play with as they aim to better their roster around their franchise signal-caller.
If the Bengals are in a similar spot a year from now, Burrow’s frustration could grow, but league executives Fowler has spoken with don’t expect them to ever consider trading him. As things stand, Burrow is in line to remain in Cincinnati through 2029 on the five-year, $275MM extension he signed in 2023.
Joe Burrow Comments Aimed At Applying Pressure On Bengals?
The Bengals are not expected to fire Zac Taylor or de facto GM Duke Tobin. A second Taylor extension (in 2023) is believed to have taken place, moving his contract through the 2027 season. That offers the former Super Bowl coach some protection, as does the Bengals’ conservative way of doing business. But the team may have a Joe Burrow problem on its hands.
Cincinnati is set to miss the playoffs for the third straight season. That occurring in Burrow’s prime is an indictment of the team’s roster, though Burrow injuries in 2023 and ’25 have contributed heavily to the team’s struggles since the 2022 AFC championship game. Still, the 2024 season showed the burden Burrow has needed to carry. With defensive improvement not exactly coming this season, the Bengals did not reenter the AFC North race when their superstar quarterback came off IR last month.
[RELATED: Bengals Rejected Dolphins’ Four-First-Rounder Offer In 2020]
The sixth-year quarterback’s comments about his happiness (or lack thereof) playing football drew leaguewide attention, and while Burrow stopped short of saying he expected to be elsewhere in 2026, he did not do the same regarding a post-Cincinnati career chapter when asked that specific question. In Burrow’s mind, the Bengals have to “play perfect” to win, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport offers, noting the passer’s comments this week look to be aimed at applying some pressure on the organization.
Burrow went to this well last year, launching a campaign for the team to keep Tee Higgins despite previous rumors pointing the high-end No. 2 wide receiver out of town. Burrow also campaigned for Trey Hendrickson to be paid, but the All-Pro defensive end — after an injury-marred season — is likely to walk in free agency.
Powerful players applying pressure on teams is not new, of course. Cavaliers and Lakers fans have seen LeBron James operate this way over the past decade, but Burrow does not have a contract set to expire now or in the near future to use as leverage. He signed a five-year, $275MM Bengals extension that runs through the 2029 season. Cincinnati can hold this over its franchise centerpiece, though the team does have a history with a player effectively forcing his way out despite being contracted long term.
Carson Palmer chose the nuclear option in 2011, staging a quasi-retirement as a way to have the Bengals trade him. An eight-year Bengal, Palmer became frustrated with the franchise’s thriftiness and eventually got his way when the Raiders — who lost then-starter Jason Campbell to injury before the 2011 trade deadline — gave up first- and second-round picks for the disgruntled QB. Palmer did not pan out with the Raiders, finding his form later with the Cardinals, but the Bengals landed starters Dre Kirkpatrick and Giovani Bernard with the picks while Andy Dalton performed well enough for several seasons. This reality playing out again, however, would be damning for the franchise; that would stand to make Burrow’s tactics worth monitoring closely.
The Bengals are known to play hardball with irritated players, as trade requests — like those from Higgins and Jonah Williams, to name two recent examples — are routinely batted down. Cincinnati brass can also point to listening to Burrow on Higgins, who joined Ja’Marr Chase in signing a lucrative extension this past offseason, and being active in free agency — far more so compared to their spending during Palmer and Dalton’s tenures — with Burrow in town.
Burrow, 29, can also point to shortcomings. The Bengals saw the 2020 No. 1 pick put up MVP-caliber numbers last season, returning from a major wrist injury, only to see the team go 9-8 and miss the playoffs. Taylor’s teams, this season’s 2-0 start notwithstanding, also started 0-2 in 2022, ’23 and ’24 with Burrow at the helm. Cincy has not fielded an above-average defense since 2022, with Al Golden not turning that unit around post-Lou Anarumo this year, and its offensive lines have not been confused with upper-crust units during Burrow’s career.
Burrow disillusionment comes as Josh Allen is set to lead the Bills to their seventh straight playoff field. Lamar Jackson may reach his seventh career postseason as well. Patrick Mahomes played in seven straight AFC championship games before the Chiefs’ disappointing 2025 season. Meanwhile, the Broncos and Patriots have rebuilt their operations behind younger quarterbacks. Those teams join the Chargers as status quo challengers to have emerged during the Bengals’ downturn.
How Burrow proceeds will be a defining 2026 offseason storyline, as numerous clubs would line up monster offers if he seriously pursued a Palmer-like path. We are still a ways away from that, it appears, but Burrow putting pressure on the Bengals does represent another stage in this relationship; the extension years have not gone well. A franchise not known to cave on player demands did appear to do so after Burrow pushed for Higgins to stay; will there be more specific Burrow passion projects in this coming offseason?
Dolphins Coveted Joe Burrow In 2020, Offered Bengals Four First-Rounders For No. 1 Pick
The Dolphins entered the 2020 NFL Draft in need of a franchise quarterback. Joe Burrow headlined the class after a national championship- and Heisman Trophy-winning season at LSU in 2019. With Burrow coming off an incredible 60-touchdown campaign, the Dolphins showed interest in moving up from the fifth spot to land him. However, the Bengals stayed put at No. 1 and selected Burrow.
Four picks after Burrow went off the board, the Dolphins settled for former Alabama signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa. It turns out they were extremely aggressive in trying to nab Burrow first.
Armed with three first-rounders in 2020 to go with an extra first in 2021, the Dolphins offered the Bengals a package of four firsts for the No. 1 pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. They’d have drafted Burrow had Cincinnati signed off on the trade. However, the Bengals were committed enough to Burrow that they didn’t entertain the proposal, according to Schefter.
We heard a while back the Dolphins made an aggressive push to acquire the 2020 top pick from the Bengals. Brian Flores‘ tanking allegation surrounded the 2019 Miami season. While the NFL did not punish Stephen Ross in connection with Flores’ accusation, the Dolphins fielded a bad roster as they retooled that year. Flores guiding the team to a 5-11 record scuttled any hopes of obtaining the No. 1 pick. Burrow had also surged past Tagovailoa on draft boards thanks to his record-setting season, but the Bengals’ 2-14 record in Zac Taylor‘s debut season gave them access to the Ohio native-turned-LSU superstar.
This is, however, the first we have heard that a four-first-rounder offer was on the table. This would have meant Cincinnati sliding from No. 1 to No. 5 and also obtaining the Nos. 18 and 26 choices — to go with a 2021 first. The Dolphins had two firsts in 2021 thanks to their August 2019 Laremy Tunsil blockbuster.
Miami acquired the 2020 No. 18 pick via the September 2019 Minkah Fitzpatrick trade and No. 26 in the Tunsil swap. The Dolphins ended up trading down four spots from No. 26, giving the Packers Jordan Love access. In the end, Miami ended up with Tagovailoa — who was coming off a season-ending hip injury — to go with Austin Jackson and Noah Igbinoghene.
A half-decade later, Tagovailoa’s tenure in Miami may be on the verge of ending. The 27-year-old had success earlier in his career, even earning a four-year, $212.4MM extension in July 2024, but he’ll serve in a third-string role against the Burrow-led Bengals on Sunday. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel decided earlier this week to bench Tagovailoa for seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers.
Even though Tagovailoa’s owed a guaranteed $54MM in 2026, Miami is “prepared” to cut ties with him in the offseason, per Schefter. The Dolphins will likely part with him before $3MM of his 2027 salary becomes guaranteed on March 15.
Schefter points to the possibility of a trade in which the Dolphins offer a team draft compensation and pay “a heavy portion” of Tagovailoa’s contract. Tagovailoa would have to take a pay cut to facilitate a trade, notes Schefter, who adds it’s likely he’d have a say in where he goes next.
If the Dolphins are unable to execute a trade, it seems they’ll release Tagovailoa at the cost of a record $99MM in dead money. They’d spread that total over two seasons, leaving Tagovailoa to search for another team on the open market.
Like Tagovailoa, Burrow earned a massive raise earlier in his career. The Bengals gave him a five-year, $275MM extension in September 2023. Burrow, who nearly led the Bengals to a win over the Rams in Super Bowl LVI, was coming off back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances at the time.
The Bengals haven’t returned to the playoffs since they locked up Burrow, though the two-time Pro Bowler remains among the league’s premier passers when healthy. Injuries have been a frequent occurrence during his career, however, including a nine-game absence this year. He returned from a toe injury in Week 13, but with two losses in three games since then, the Bengals are 4-10 and out of contention.
While Burrow is frustrated with the Bengals’ struggles, it doesn’t appear he’ll join Tagovailoa on the market of available QBs in the offseason. Burrow expects to remain in Cincinnati in 2026.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
QB Joe Burrow Expects To Remain With Bengals For 2026
Comments made by Joe Burrow prior to Week 15 fueled a new round of speculation regarding his future. The sixth-year quarterback is not retiring any time soon, and a change in teams (unlikely as that would seem) should also not be expected. 
Burrow will continue playing for the final three games of the season even though the 4-10 Bengals are officially out of playoff contention. The two-time Pro Bowler could have been shut down to ensure he would remain healthy for the start of the 2026 campaign. Instead, Burrow will look to end the year on a high note amidst questions on the matter of his long-term outlook.
“It feels like everybody’s trying to do everything in their power to make me not play football and I feel like I’m fighting it,” he said (via ESPN’s Ben Baby). “I’m fighting everybody else. I just want to play ball. That’s all I want to do.”
Burrow is under contract through 2029, and his deal contains a no-trade clause. The thought of a swap would generally be a non-starter based on the $55MM AAV of Burrow’s pact, let alone his stated desire to remain in place. The 29-year-old has enjoyed success when healthy at times in his career – highlighted of course be a trip to the Super Bowl in 2021 – but injuries have marred his NFL tenure. Cincinnati is set to miss the playoffs for a third straight season, and it remains to be seen if major organizational changes will be coming.
It appears at this point as though head coach Zac Taylor and de facto general manager Duke Tobin will be safe for next year. Burrow is also in line to continue his Cincinnati tenure, and to no surprise he said he “can’t see” a scenario in which he plays elsewhere next season. The former No. 1 pick added, however, that “a lot of crazy things happen every year” in the NFL with respect to player movement.
Burrow cited this year’s Micah Parsons blockbuster as a recent example of unexpected trades taking place. The LSU product has remained consistent in terms of endorsing Taylor and Tobin, although he replied, “you think about a lot of things” when asked about the possibility of playing for a different team at some point in his career. Questions about a potential Burrow departure could continue beyond 2026 depending on how things play out.
For now, though, Burrow’s attention will be focused on ending the current season without hindering his availability for Week 1 next year. He reiterated his expectation of enjoying a long NFL career, and while the door could be open for a parting of ways down the road that will in all likelihood see him remain in Cincinnati for at least 2026.