Bengals' Burrow: I'd restructure contract to keep core together

Joe Burrow said Thursday that he would "of course" consider restructuring his contract so that the Cincinnati Bengals can retain their core.

"We have the cap space to get it done," Burrow said on "Breakfast Ball." "I want to make it happen. Everybody involved - Trey (Hendrickson), Tee (Higgins), Ja’Marr (Chase), and Mike Gesicki - we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that, I think you can get those things done."

Burrow signed a five-year, $275-million extension in 2023, keeping him in Cincinnati until 2030.

Higgins and Gesicki will be unrestricted free agents this spring, while Hendrickson and Chase are under contract for one more season.

Hendrickson said Wednesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he would be open to a trade if the Bengals don't negotiate a contract extension. The defensive end leads the league in sacks.

"We have several guys like that who have stepped up for us and deserve to be paid - and deserve to be paid what they're worth," Burrow said Friday, per ESPN's Ben Baby.

The Bengals led the league in passing yards in the regular season but missed the playoffs for the second year in a row after finishing 9-8.