As the Cincinnai Bengals gear up for an offseason in which decisions on potential contract extensions for top wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will need to be made, quarterback Joe Burrow offered some food for thought for the franchise's front office.
During an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast on Wednesday, Burrow indicated that he'd like to see the Bengals imitate the Eagles' method of roster-building during a discussion about the NFL's salary cap.
"The Eagles are paying everybody," Burrow said. "That seems like the way. ... Whatever they're doing."
Philadelphia, fresh off of its second appearance in the Super Bowl in the last three seasons, cashed in with a dominant 40–22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Aside from its performance on the field and top-tier coaching staff, perhaps one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Eagles' victory was the aptitude of general manager Howie Roseman as it pertains to cap management.
Roseman and the Eagles have managed to sign the likes of star wide receiver A.J. Brown, quarterback and Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts, wideout DeVonta Smith, and two key pieces of the offensive line, Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata, to contract extensions in recent years, all while maintaining the ability to land top free agents, such as 2024 Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley.
The cherry on top has been Roseman's ability to supplement such talent with wise selections in the draft. But most of all, the Eagles have figured out a way to roster-build while staying above water in regards to the cap, where they currently have roughly $18 million in space according to Over the Cap, thanks in part to Roseman's utilization of voided years and signing bonuses.
This manipulation of the cap is something Burrow, who inked a five-year, $275 million contract extension in September of '23, explained when asked about restructuring 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. You can also just take less money."
Restructuring Burrow's deal is certainly an avenue the Bengals could take should they ultimately decide to offer contract extensions to Chase, the free-agent-to-be Higgins and All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson this offseason.
Burrow, who has made multiple stops at various media outlets recently, has made his thoughts clear on what courses of action Bengals' brass should take.
Cincinnati is projected to have $45.9 million in cap space entering the offseason.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joe Burrow Wants Bengals to Imitate Eagles to Keep Stars in Free Agency.
