CINCINNATI -- On Monday, Cincinnati Bengals de facto general manager Duke Tobin said no two offseasons are alike.
And in the franchise's history that spans nearly six decades, very few have been quite like this one. Days before this year's draft, Cincinnati sent the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants in exchange for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, an unprecedented move in franchise history. According to ESPN Research, it was the first time Cincinnati traded a top-10 pick for a player.
The move signaled a shift for a traditionally conservative franchise. After missing the playoffs the past three years, the Bengals are willing to push the financial margins.
Cincinnati's front office calculated that the risk was worth it for a team that believes it should be competing for more.
"The opportunity to add those players outweighed those challenges," Tobin said of signing Lawrence and others in free agency. "And we're willing to go through the challenges to make it work."
Per OverTheCap.com, the Bengals have just $5 million in effective salary cap space, the lowest amount of any team that isn't in the red. It's atypical for a franchise that likes to maintain a buffer throughout the season and roll over any savings to the next year.
Dating back to last offseason, the Bengals proved they have been willing to extend their boundaries.
They signed wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to extensions worth a total of $276 million. Dating back to 2025, the Bengals have signed the most players (four) in the NFL to deals worth more than $20 million a year, per OverTheCap. In addition to the receivers and Lawrence, Cincinnati also signed former Seattle edge rusher Boye Mafe to a three-year deal worth $60 million.
And there has been a noticeable change in how the Bengals view the salary cap. Previously, Cincinnati tried to limit the amount of money it pushed into future years of salary cap space.
"Cap dollars have to be counted, so if we can accomplish what we want to accomplish without pushing things into future problems, we'll do that," Tobin said in February at the NFL combine.
But that was before Cincinnati had the chance to add Lawrence. After the Bengals pulled off the trade, Tobin made it a point to give executive vice president Katie Blackburn credit for making everything work financially.
"She makes that work," Tobin said on Monday. "It really was exceptional, because we had opportunities come to us that we weren't expecting financially, and she was able to still make it work, which was sensational."
One could argue the aggressiveness is out of necessity.
After ending the 2021 season with an unexpected trip to the Super Bowl and making a repeat run to the AFC Championship Game in 2022, the Bengals are in the midst of a three-year playoff dry spell. Last year, quarterback Joe Burrow spent the season contemplating the pursuit of happiness amid another significant injury and a disappointing campaign.
But it appears that Burrow has been in a better mood this offseason. Perhaps coincidentally, he posted a car selfie of himself, Higgins, Chase and tight end Mike Gesicki following a recent throwing session in greater Los Angeles.
The caption? "Got better."
Back in Cincinnati, Gesicki said it was good to have offseason work with Burrow, who remains steadfast in his commitment to leading the Bengals despite the trying seasons.
"He's definitely one of the ultimate competitors," Gesicki said. "It's tough to level up from what he's always done. I think he's always done a phenomenal job of getting right and coming here and being a leader and leading this organization. He'll definitely be ready when it's time to roll."
And the Bengals have reaffirmed their commitment to surrounding Burrow with the best team possible, even if they are having to work a little bit harder to make it work financially.
Because as Tobin put it this week, he wants the same thing as Burrow when it comes to bringing Cincinnati a Lombardi Trophy.
"I don't know if I can try any harder than I do every year to put the best team together," Tobin said. "His championship window is his whole career. We're trying to put the best team together every year we can.
"We really feel good about what came together for us over the last few months. We'll keep attacking it as we go."
