Joe Burrow

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow doesn't want to lose his top two targets to free agency, and he is reportedly doing what he can to convince the team to keep both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

"He is putting the hammer on them," an NFL executive said in a Monday story by Mike Sando of The Athletic.

Higgins is scheduled for free agency this offseason after playing the 2024 campaign on the franchise tag, while Chase has one year remaining on his deal. While Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension in 2023, he has publicly said he is willing to restructure his deal to help keep the wide receivers in Cincinnati.

"I'm of the thought that when he decided not to make an Eli Manning situation with Cincinnati in the draft, that he had talks beforehand about how they were going to proceed with player acquisition," another executive said, per Sando. "And now it is to the point where they have to hold up their end of the bargain."

Former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer famously demanded a trade from Cincinnati during his career, but one executive said the situation is different with Burrow.

"Carson got hurt in a playoff game, but Joe got them to the Super Bowl," the exec said. "That carries a lot of weight going forward. The issue is going to be, will they spend money elsewhere, at a level necessary to keep guys? I think that this time they might. I'm not saying they will have a wholesale change in their philosophy. Joe has the leverage to have them do something that they might not have wanted to do."

Committing to Burrow in 2023 the way the Bengals did and then not spending to keep his top two receivers would undercut the team-building process for a franchise looking to take the next step as a contender.

Cincinnati made the Super Bowl during the 2021 campaign and reached the AFC Championship Game the following year with the star quarterback leading the way. Even its down seasons in 2023 and 2024 saw it finish with a winning record of 9-8 in large part because of the brilliance of Burrow, Chase and the passing game.

Chase in particular was unstoppable this past season and led the NFL in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and touchdown catches (17). Higgins had back-to-back seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2021 and 2022 and set a career-high with touchdown catches (10) in 2024.

Both receivers and Burrow are in their 20s, so it is not difficult to envision the trio leading the Bengals for years to come.

But first the front office has to commit to paying the necessary contracts to keep the pass-catchers in town.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow gave a shout-out to WNBA star Caitlin Clark and pledged to attend an Indiana Fever game next season to watch the superstar in action.

"Shoutout Caitlin Clark, she's always fun to watch," Burrow told reporters. "I think she's bringing a lot of fans to the WNBA. She's going to continue to get better. She's an hour and a half from Cincy, so I'll have to go and make the trip."

Burrow just completed his fifth NFL season. Despite the Bengals missing out on the postseason, he had a career year, posting 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns, both leading the league, along with a 74.7 quarterback rating.

Clark, a former Iowa State Hawkeye, lost to Burrow's alma mater, LSU, in the 2023 NCAA women's national championship game 102-85. However, she came back the following season, defeating LSU in an Elite Eight victory.

Clark, in her rookie season, averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The Fever finished 20-20, securing third place in the Eastern Conference.

Her standout rookie season also caught the eye of NFL star Travis Kelce, whose girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was seen at a Kansas City Chiefs game alongside Clark during a postseason game.

"Oh man, she's unbelievable," Kelce told reporters ahead of Super Bowl LIX. "She's the funnest one to watch right now and one of the best basketball players I've ever seen. And it has been so cool to see her at Taylor's concert, and coming out to a Chiefs game and hanging out with us."

Clark and the Fever will kick off the regular season against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on May 17 at home, with the sidelines likely to be filled with some notable names.

For the second time in his career, Joe Burrow has won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award.

The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback earned the honor on Thursday over finalists such as Minnesota Vikings passer Sam Darnold, Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

Burrow helped lead the Bengals to playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022, but his 2023 campaign was cut short after he suffered a wrist injury in Week 11 that ultimately required season-ending surgery.

The 28-year-old's availability during the ensuing year wasn't affected by the procedure, as he appeared in all 17 regular-season games during his 2024 campaign. Although Cincinnati failed to meet expectations and narrowly missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record, Burrow wrapped up an impressive individual season.

He completed 70.6 percent of his throws, leading the NFL with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdown passes. Burrow averaged a career-high 289.3 yards per game through the air and was picked off just nine times.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft previously won the award for the 2021 season, leading the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in his rookie year.

Darnold started in 55 of his first 56 games in the league, but he spent the 2023 season as a backup on the San Francisco 49ers after struggling with turnovers and overall inconsistency. He was inserted into a starting role when 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy went down for the season with a torn meniscus, blowing past expectations and leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record.

Dobbins' 2023 season came to a swift end after suffering an Achilles tear in Week 1, later signing a one-year deal with the Chargers as a free agent. In 13 appearances during his 2024 campaign, he rushed for a career-high 905 yards and nine touchdowns as Los Angeles earned a playoff berth.

Gonzalez was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, but he suffered a torn labrum that required season-ending shoulder surgery after just four games. He started in 16 contests during his sophomore campaign, racking up 11 passes defensed and two interceptions while emerging as a bright spot in New England's secondary.

Hamlin appeared in just five games with Buffalo in 2023 as he recovered after going into cardiac arrest on the field in Week 17 of the 2022 season. He momentarily didn't have a pulse before he was defibrillated. Hamlin made 14 starts in 2024, and his two interceptions were tied for the Bills' lead.

Burrow overcame season-ending surgery for another stellar year in which he led the league in multiple passing categories, resulting in his second Pro Bowl nod.

He'll also be receiving another Comeback Player of the Year award.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow expressed a willingness Thursday to be flexible with his contract in order to accommodate the team's other star players.

During an appearance on FS1's Breakfast Ball (h/t Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic), Burrow said, "Of course," when asked if he would restructure his contract to allow the Bengals to get other key players signed such as wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and tight end Mike Gesicki.

Burrow also responded positively to a question about his confidence in the Bengals' front office's ability to keep the core together, saying: "I do. I do. We have the cap space to get it done. I want to make it happen. Everybody involved: Trey, Tee, Ja'Marr, Mike G, we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that, I think you can get those things done."

Both Higgins and Gesicki are set to become free agents this offseason, while Chase and Hendrickson are signed through 2025.

While Chase was a training camp hold-in last year who did not start practicing until shortly prior to the start of the 2024 regular season, he ultimately played under his current deal and turned in a dominant performance.

After winning the receiving Triple Crown with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, Chase will almost certainly insist on a new contract this offseason that makes him the NFL's highest-paid wideout.

Hendrickson requested a trade last offseason when he and the Bengals couldn't come to terms on a new contract, but like Chase, he eventually reported to the team.

The 30-year-old veteran went on to record 17.5 sacks for a second consecutive season, leading the league in that category. He was named a Pro Bowler, First Team All-Pro and NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist.

This week, during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (h/t ESPN's Ben Baby), Hendrickson suggested that if he does not get a new deal this offseason, he will insist on a trade this time around.

Burrow, 28, is coming off a career year that saw him lead the NFL with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns to go along with nine interceptions.

Despite that, the Bengals went just 9-8 and missed the playoffs, largely due to a defense that ranked 25th in the league in both total yards and points allowed.

Still, the Bengals will be considered top contenders to win the AFC and go to the Super Bowl next season if they are able to keep the core of their roster together.

Chase and Hendrickson are elite players at their respective positions, while Higgins and Gesicki are key to Burrow's success as well.

Higgins, 26, had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022 before injuries limited him to 12 games in 2023. Higgins also played in only 12 games this season, but he still managed 73 grabs for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He is shaping up to be arguably the best free agent at any position this offseason, which could make it difficult for the Bengals to compete with teams that have more money to spend.

In his only season with the Bengals, Gesicki had 65 receptions for 665 yards and two scores. He would be far cheaper to re-sign than Higgins, but figures to have plenty of interest on the open market as well.

Burrow signed a five-year, $275 contract extension in 2023 and is set to have a $46.25 million cap hit next season, per Spotrac.

OverTheCap.com estimates that the Bengals have the ninth-most cap space in the NFL at $46.5 million, and a Burrow restructure could get them even more, as could signing Chase and Hendrickson to extensions.

Doling out several massive contracts could have negative consequences in the future, but if the Bengals want to go all in and compete for Super Bowls over the next few years, they do seem to have the means to make it happen.

A federal grand jury in Cincinnati charged three men in connection to the burglary of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio (h/t ESPN's Ben Baby), Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, 22, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales, 23, and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello, 38, were charged after an indictment on Monday.

The three men, all of whom are Chilean and believed to be part of a South American theft group, were charged with transporting stolen goods interstate and falsifying records in a federal investigation, per Baby.

"Our investigation remains ongoing as these individuals seem to be the alleged tip of the iceberg of South American Theft Groups committing crimes throughout our district and elsewhere," U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said in a statement. "We owe it to the victims, whether they are or are not professional athletes, to follow the evidence into these alleged criminal networks and hold the law-breakers accountable."

Additionally, the three men are facing felony charges in Ohio after their initial arrest in January, according to Baby.

In recent months, a number of athletes across the NFL, NBA and other professional sports leagues have dealt with break-ins. Amid the slew of robberies, the FBI in December issued a warning to sports leagues about professional athletes being targeted by organized theft groups who burglarize their homes while they're playing games or traveling.

In the warning, the FBI noted that organized groups from South America use tactics such as social media and other publicly available information to target athletes. The FBI also said the groups use advanced technology like Wi-Fi jammers to bypass security systems.

Burrow's home was robbed in December. Athletes such as Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Luka Dončić have also dealt with break-ins in recent months.

All eyes are on the wide receiver position for the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, and that reportedly means a willingness to offer a "massive" signing bonus to Ja'Marr Chase.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported Friday that the AFC North team "is likely to offer a massive signing bonus to try to convince Chase to sign while still holding to its policy" of not offering guaranteed money outside of the signing bonus for long-term deals.

Quarterback Joe Burrow's contract was the one understandable exception to that policy.

If Chase goes for this, it could mean a higher signing bonus than the $38 million one CeeDee Lamb landed from the Dallas Cowboys before the 2024 campaign.

It is something of a tricky situation for the Bengals' front office considering fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins is a free agent this offseason after playing the 2024 campaign on the franchise tag. The team will have to decide whether it wants to commit an exorbitant amount of resources to the position by keeping them both long term.

But it is nearly impossible to argue against keeping Chase.

After all, he finished with the receiving triple crown in 2024 by leading the league in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17). He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his four seasons in the league and is arguably the best player at his position in the NFL.

His quarterback also wants him back.

"Week in and week out, he continues to make unbelievable plays, makes people miss, scores 50-plus-yard touchdowns," Burrow said when asked about Chase during ESPN's broadcast of the Pro Bowl Games on Thursday. "I mean, I don't know what more he could do to show and prove himself.

"We have several guys like that who have stepped up for us and deserve to be paid, and deserve to be paid what they're worth."

It seems like the Bengals are willing to pay Chase a significant amount.

Four men have been arrested in connection with the December burglary of Joe Burrow's home.

Per court records (h/t Cameron Knight of the Cincinnati Enquirer), the arrests occurred on Jan. 10 when the four men were leaving a La Quinta Hotel in Fairborn, Ohio.

Knight noted the documents did not specifically mention Burrow or the address of the burglary that occurred on Dec. 9, but investigators said "an old LSU shirt and a Bengals hat" that were believed to be stolen were found in a Chevy Blazer being used by the group.

The incident involving Burrow's home is part of what federal investigators believe is a pattern of burglaries targeted to the homes of prominent NFL and NBA stars. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Luka Dončić are among other athletes whose homes have been burglarized in recent months.

Burrow's home was burglarized on the same night the Bengals played the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Monday Night Football.

A Dec. 20 bulletin distributed to U.S. professional athletic associations obtained by CNN's Josh Campbell stated the homes are being "targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and cash."

The bulletin also noted the burglars will often "conduct physical and technical surveillance" ahead of time and "use publicly available information and social media to identify a pattern of life for a prospective victim and often know in advance where valuables are kept in a home."

Knight noted Clark County Municipal Court officials said the four men are being held in custody on $250,000 bond.

Three of the men have been charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, participation in a criminal gang, possessing criminal tools and obstructing official business. It's unclear if the fourth man is in custody, but court documents did state he "spoke more freely with investigators and did not lie about his identity."

The three men who have been charged will appear before a grand jury on Tuesday. Their cases will be moved to the Clark County Court of Common Pleas if they are indicted.

The AFC is loaded with elite quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, among others.

But, to hear one Super Bowl-winning league executive tell it, they are all chasing Patrick Mahomes in large part because of the Kansas City Chiefs' Lombardi Trophies.

"It is all about rings for the QBs," the executive said in a Tuesday story by Jeff Howe of The Athletic. "To be considered one of the greats, you need at least one (Super Bowl victory) on your resume to be in that elite group. Allen, Lamar and Burrow are outstanding, but without a ring—or two or three—they'll never approach the level of Brady and Mahomes."

Jackson, Allen and Burrow are all chasing their first title, although they've all come close.

Burrow led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl during the 2021 season but lost to the Los Angeles Rams. Allen's Buffalo Bills and Jackson's Baltimore Ravens have also advanced to the AFC Championship Game during the last five seasons with Baltimore's appearance coming last year.

By comparison, Mahomes has three Super Bowl titles and four Super Bowl appearances. What's more, he has never failed to reach at least the AFC Championship Game since taking over as the full-time starter during the 2018 campaign.

He has also been a roadblock for the other signal-callers.

Allen's Bills lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs of the 2020, 2021 and 2023 seasons, while Jackson's Ravens were eliminated by Mahomes and Co. in last season's AFC Championship Game.

While Burrow defeated the Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl, Kansas City got revenge in the AFC Championship Game the following season. The Chiefs have also beaten the Bengals in each of the last two regular seasons.

Until the other quarterbacks start stacking up rings to go with their impressive individual performances, Mahomes will remain the gold standard of comparison.