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CINCINNATI, OHIO – OCTOBER 16: Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals looks on prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium on October 16, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
The Cincinnati Bengals currently hold around $50.4 million in 2026 cap space. By no means are they broke, but there’s a lot of work to do.
Cincinnati needs to invest a lot of cash in their defense. After a rough showing in 2025, some of the lone bright spots of the defense have expiring contracts. Trey Hendrickson, Mike Hilton, and Geno Stone all can test the open market in a couple of weeks.
Luckily for Cinci, they have avenues to raise this $50.4 million number even higher. This would be very beneficial in order to try and revamp this defense.
Bengals Urged to Alter Contracts of QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase
GettyBALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals embrace following the game at M&T Bank Stadium on November 07, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Sports Illustrated has pointed out a way for the Bengals to almost double their available cap space.
“The Bengals currently have over $52 million in cap space, which ranks seventh in the NFL. That number would jump by $32.52 million if they restructured Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase’s current contracts.
They could save $19.228 million in cap space by restructuring Burrow’s contract. They’d save $13.292 million by restructuring Chase’s contract. Suddenly, the Bengals would go from having $52 million in space to nearly $85 million in room to work with this offseason.
This is a no-brainer for a team that needs to make significant additions on defense.”
This influx of money could be the difference of them re-signing Trey Hendrickson or not. Other notable defensive free agents include Bryan Cook, Devin Lloyd, and Jaelen Phillips.
Colin Cowherd Sends Clear Message to Joe Burrow and the City of Cincinnati
GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 14: Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates after a touchdown in the first quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
In a recent installment of The Herd, Colin Cowherd made his thoughts know on what he sees happening in the future between Burrow and the Bengals.
“I think Burrow misses the playoffs again, and he’s moving. I think he’s just gonna say ‘I’m out’. And I think he’ll say ‘call the Rams, I’m going to McVay. Call the Niners’.
It’ll be one of these Kevin O’Connell, McVay, high end offensive coaches. You’d think Cincinnati would be embarrassed by it? That you have Joe Burrow and you can’t get into the playoffs? That would be kind of embarrassing. It speaks upstairs, not to Burrow.”
There’s no doubt that this would be an absolute embarrassment for Cincinnati; they are five years removed from their Super Bowl appearance with Burrow, and haven’t come close to returning in four years.
Burrow isn’t getting any younger, as he turns 30 this December. It wouldn’t be crazy to think he would want to capitalize on the prime years of his career with a team that’s established and suited to make a run.
Brevan Bane Brevan Bane is a sports scribe covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Brevan began his writing career by making a platform on Twitter and leveraging his presence into writing and content creation opportunities for outlets like PurplePTSD, Vikings Territory, The Noise, Hockey Wilderness, and the VikesNow YouTube channel. You can follow him on X @brevmanbane. More about Brevan Bane
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