CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow threw his support behind the Cincinnati Bengals' offseason moves but declined to take any of the credit for them.
Speaking to the Cincinnati media for the first time since the end of the 2025 season, the franchise quarterback praised the free agent signings of safety Bryan Cook, defensive end Boye Mafe and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, along with the big swing of the offseason, trading the No. 10 pick for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
There was a lot of speculation that the slew of moves was the result of pressure applied by Burrow and the front office’s attempt to keep him happy, especially after the quarterback public pressed the team after the 2024 season to sign tight end Mike Gesicki and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to extensions.
But Burrow said there were no threats or mandates from him after the team went 6-11 last year and missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
“I would say we had a lot of communication during free agency,” Burrow said. “We didn’t have our postseason meeting like we typically have. I would say if anything, I was less involved this year than in years past.”
Regardless of how much influence Burrow had or didn’t have on this offseason, he appears to be happy with the results.
“This is the most talented roster we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Burrow said. “The front office has taken a lot of heat from the fans, the public, the media. We can put all of that behind us.
“They went and made it happen with free agency,” he added. “ And then obviously with Dexter, making a trade like that, that doesn’t happen a ton in the NFL. So it’s exciting to see.”
Burrow said the absence of his regular postseason meeting with the front office wasn’t intentional, nor was it a reflection of any anger or frustration with how poorly constructed the 2025 roster was with one of the league’s best offenses and worst defenses.
“Just kind of how it happened,” he said.
And it wasn’t as though the front office needed to meet with Burrow to know where he stood. The fixes needed were obvious.
“I just think we know where we needed to be better, and we went out and aggressively made it happen,” Burrow said. “We filled some holes that we had from years past, got better at a lot of positions. Signed the best free agent safety (Cook). Got the best D tackle in the league, in my opinion. So we have everything we need in that locker room. We just have to go make it happen.
“There’s no secret that the last several years didn’t go the way we wanted to, and there’s a lot of blame to go around for that, myself included,” Burrow continued. “We’re in a great spot this year. We brought in great people and great players. You can feel the vibes of the locker room. The energy is elevated right now. We have some veteran guys that can come in and show the younger guys on defense what it takes, what it means to be great every day. That’s exciting to be a part of.”
All that’s left to do is transfer that potential to the field and get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
Burrow is already expecting that to happen.
“The number one thing is you have to win," Burrow said. "We’re going to go win a lot of games this year and play great and win a Super Bowl.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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