The Cincinnati Bengals have modified their star quarterback Joe Burrow’s contract arrangement, according to a source with knowledge of the transaction who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The individual provided information to the AP under the condition of remaining unnamed since the team had not made an official announcement about the move.
ESPN and NFL Network were the first outlets to report on the contract adjustment.
The modification allows Cincinnati to create approximately $10 million in salary cap room by distributing portions of Burrow’s base salary across the remaining three years of his contract (2027 through 2029). The quarterback had signed a five-year extension worth $275 million in 2023.
The team needed additional cap flexibility following their acquisition of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants prior to the NFL draft and subsequently signing him to a one-year extension valued at $28 million.
Cincinnati is working to secure contract extensions for several important players from their 2023 draft class who remain on rookie contracts before training camp begins. This group consists of defensive end Myles Murphy, running back Chase Brown, and defensive backs Jordan Battle, DJ Turner and Dax Hill.
The quarterback, who was selected first overall in the 2023 draft, is entering his seventh NFL season. He guided the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2021 campaign and to the AFC championship game the year after, though Cincinnati has failed to reach the playoffs over the past three seasons.
Burrow appeared in just eight games during the previous season. He sustained a turf toe injury during a Week 2 victory against Jacksonville and remained sidelined until late November. His statistics included 1,809 passing yards, 17 touchdown passes and five interceptions, with three of those interceptions returned for touchdowns.
