CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals have restructured quarterback Joe Burrow's contract, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Tuesday.
By adjusting the deal, the Bengals will gain $10 million in cap space for the upcoming season. The Bengals could have restructured up to $19.2 million by converting his entire base salary for the upcoming season.
The move was necessitated because of the predraft trade for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II. Before the restructured deal, the team had just $7.1 million in effective cap space for the upcoming season.
Cincinnati's transaction was the latest in a slew of typically uncharacteristic offseason moves, highlighted by the acquisition of Lawrence in exchange for the 10th overall pick in this year's draft.
When Bengals de facto general manager Duke Tobin met with reporters in April, he didn't rule out the possibility of altering Burrow's contract and pushing some of the $275 million contract extension he signed in 2023 into future years.
"We've layered in challenges, but we're up to them, and we do it because we got the opportunity to add the right people and the right players," Tobin said in April. "Those are challenges that the locker room isn't interested in.
"They're interested in having the best team possible, and that's what we're trying to give them."
Cincinnati is looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2022, Burrow's second full season in the NFL. Last year, the two-time MVP finalist missed nine games with a turf toe injury that sidelined him in the middle of the season.
