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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow pushed against a media report

The status of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been the source of much discussion. In particular, the conversation of his future with the Bengals began heating up once the quarterback stated that he was not having fun during the 2025 season as Cincinnati appeared to be on the outside looking in of the playoff race.

As a result, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Bengals were planning on being more aggressive in free agency after Burrow’s comments. 

The team did just that, as they had a roster makeover this offseason, headlined by the team trading the No. 10 pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft in exchange for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. However, aside from simply commenting, Dan Patrick of the Dan Patrick Show reported that Burrow gave the Bengals an ultimatum.

Joe Burrow Pushes Back Against Report

After trading for Dexter Lawrence, Dan Patrick said on his show, “I was told Joe Burrow is the one calling the shots in Cincinnati. 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.”

According to the Athletic’s Paul Dehner, Burrow pushed back on a possible ultimatum as Dehner wrote:
“He (Burrow) stated plainly there was no mandate for moves he wanted the front office to make, when asked about rumors to the contrary, and said he was “certainly” satisfied with what the team put together.”

Burrow told Dehner, “I would say if anything, I was less involved this year than in years past. 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. And so, 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.”

Regarding this report, Bengals Wire’s Chris Roling wrote:
“Clearly, there wasn’t some major ultimatum before the Bengals spent major dollars in free agency and traded for Dexter Lawrence.”

Joe Burrow’s Comments on the Cincinnati Bengals 

Ultimatum or not, it appears the Bengals quarterback is much happier with the state of the roster. 

Burrow told Dehner, “We’re going to go win a lot of games this year and play great and win a Super Bowl.”

Regarding the Bengals offseason moves and front office, Burrow said, “This is the most talented roster that we have had since I have been here. 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. I thought the draft, obviously, we’ll find out. We don’t know a ton about these rookies yet, but it seems like they brought the right kind of guys in. And then obviously with Dexter (Lawrence), making a trade like that, that doesn’t happen a ton in the NFL. So it’s exciting to see.”