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Dan Patrick revealed the role Joe Burrow played in the Dexter Lawrence trade

There have been mixed opinions on the Cincinnati Bengals trading the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft in exchange for Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. One thing people seem to agree on is that Cincinnati is all-in on doing whatever the team needs to return to championship contention. 

Whether the move was smart or not remains to be seen as this depends on if Lawrence can be the difference- maker the Cincinnati defense desperately needed. Some were also surprised by the nature of the trade, as the Bengals are not known as a risk-taking team and primarily avoid blockbuster moves such as this one.

However, a new report has shared some insight into why the team did so and how quarterback Joe Burrow played a role in the aggressive trade.

Joe Burrow’s Involvement in Dexter Lawrence Trade

Dan Patrick spoke on his show and revealed how Burrow was involved in the Cincinnati Bengals acquiring Dexter Lawrence. Patrick said, “I was told Joe Burrow is the one calling the shots in Cincinnati.” He added, “From what I’m told, Joe Burrow said to management, ‘you gotta do something defensively or I’m out of here.’ I was told this morning by a source, who said that Joe has given them an ultimatum.”

Regarding the trade as a whole, Patrick stated that he did not like the move for Cincinnati.

Patrick cited Burrow publicly calling for the team to extend Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as another example of the quarterback calling the shots in Cincinnati.

It is easy to see why Burrow wanted to add a player of Lawrence’s caliber to Cincinnati. The Bengals finished with their worst record since Burrow’s rookie season, despite having a top-10 offense. This was primarily due to Cincinnati allowing the third-most points in the NFL last season.

In 2022 and 2023, Lawrence was Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated interior defensive lineman; however, that has slightly declined since. During the 2025 season, he was ranked as the No. 9 interior defensive lineman and received his worst run defense grade since the 2021 season. Even if he is in decline, Lawrence still appears to be a massive upgrade on the interior for Cincinnati.

Joe Burrow’s Future With the Cincinnati Bengals

Previously, Burrow’s future had come into question due to some of the comments he made during the 2025 season. Burrow previously said, “If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. I’ve been through a lot, and if it’s not fun, what am I doing it for? That’s the mindset I’m trying to bring to the table.”

Despite Burrow clarifying that the comments were not related to a possible desire to leave Cincinnati, that did not quiet rumors that the quarterback wanted out. As a result, prior to free agency, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said, “I do expect the Bengals to take his words and kind of use it to spur them on a little bit to really spend this offseason. I expect the Bengals to enhance and support everything Joe Burrow does.”

That proved to be true as Cincinnati has completely revamped their defense. Hopefully it works out for the Bengals and they manage to keep their quarterback happy for the long run.