Burrow: Contract talks focused on what’s best for him and team

Burrow said he knows what he wants out of the deal but keeping the core of the team together is important to maintaining success, and ultimately that is his biggest goal. His fifth-year option means the team will face a $29.5 million cap hit on his contract next year.

“It’s definitely (in mind) whenever you have guys on the team that need to be paid, that’s always on your mind,” Burrow said Tuesday in his first press conference since the AFC Championship loss to Kansas City. “You want that to be a focal point, and so we’re working to make that happen.”

Tee Higgins and Logan Wilson also are eligible for extensions heading into the final season of their rookie contracts. Ja’Marr Chase will be due next year. The defense has built around the draft and that seems to be a plan for future savings with several veterans on that side of the ball playing this year on expiring deals as well.

Keeping Burrow has always been the priority, but doing so in the current quarterback market could mean the Bengals aren’t able to work out deals with others. Chase said he appreciated hearing that Burrow was thinking about the need to leave some money on the table for his teammates.

“It means he wants to win,” Chase said. “He knows what he has to do to win and he wants to win. He’s a winning guy. He’s not a quarterback that’s always interested in money and all that other stuff. He just wants to win, and that’s the big thing about Joe.”

“He knows he’s the best quarterback in the league,” Chase added. “He doesn’t need the money to prove that. He wants to look out for the people around him and keep the team around him.”

Burrow said he’s involved in the contract discussions, but he prefers to keep those between him, his agent and the front office.

Asked if he had spoken to Josh Allen about his process when he signed his contract extension with the Bills in 2021, Burrow said he had not. He said “there’s a lot of different ways it could work out” in his situation.

“I’m pretty clear on what I want in the contract and what I think is best for myself and the team,” Burrow said. “We’re on the road to making that happen.”

Meanwhile, Burrow has stayed focused on preparing for Year 4 but he showed up to the team’s offseason workouts with a bit of a new look. He added some muscle and is letting his hair grow out, creating the need to wear a headband when he’s working out and practicing. That’s created quite a stir among fans on social media.

Burrow said he just decided to change things up because he’s had the same haircut for a while. Otherwise, this offseason hasn’t been much different in terms of how he’s preparing, coming off his first season he got through healthy.

“Just like any year you build your body back up, find strength where there were weaknesses and then you start throwing as you get closer to this time of year,” Burrow said. “We’ve been throwing for a couple of weeks and you find where you can improve, and find little things every year that you think can help you win.”

Burrow had his first healthy offseason last year, coming off a Comeback Player of the Year season in 2021 when he had rehabbed back from 2020 knee surgery to lead the team to the Super Bowl. However, he missed the first three weeks of training camp recovering from an appendectomy and then had to spend the next few weeks just trying to get back to where he was physically before the surgery.

Although he and the Bengals got off to a slow start, Burrow felt like he had his best year.

“I think I just became more aware of situational football, aware of when I could take a sack, when I can’t, finding the back when I can make a play in a certain moment when a different part of the game I would not try to make that play,” Burrow said. “I think I took strides there. I think there are more strides to take in that area.”

The next step is just getting “over that last hump” to win a Super Bowl title.

“That’s where we’re headed,” he said. “Whatever we got to do to make that happen. ... You never know what day in offseason or what thing you worked on is going to end up helping your guys make that last play in that last game to get you over that hump. You got to stay disciplined and maintain your work ethic through the entire offseason because like I said, you never know what opportunity you’re going to be put in to make that play.”