Joe Burrow is going all in on the hunt for the Super Bowl and putting the Cincinnati Bengals under a lot of pressure. It could work out perfectly, but it could also backfire. An opinion piece.

Joe Burrow is motivated. Determined. Driven.

Sure: the 28-year-old sees that his Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of talent on their roster, and have had for years. And for just as long, the Super Bowl victory has hung over the team like an invisible burden.

Especially after losing the 2021 season’s final game to the Los Angeles Rams.

Burrow has people like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at his side, with whom he has an almost unspoken understanding. Like him, they still have potential for more. Together, they are a promise.

Burrow is aware of this rare offensive triangle, but also that a Super Bowl window doesn’t stay open forever and that the time for opportunities in the NFL is finite.

Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow’s support

That’s why he wants to support the Bengals even by restructuring his contract so that Chase and Higgins, as well as defensive mainstay Trey Hendrickson, can be retained with new deals.

The gang should stay together.

An almost romantic scenario, if you ignore the fact that it’s all about money. But of course the Bengals would be sending a signal.

To the competition. To other players. And not least to their own team.

All in. All for the Super Bowl. The big goal.

“The Eagles pay everyone. That seems to be the right way. Whatever they do,” Burrow said about the new Super Bowl winner Philadelphia Eagles.

Whether or not that is actually the right way always depends on how you tread that fine line. Because waving a fat wad of bills doesn’t automatically make a team a contender.

Joe Burrow sets the direction

But at least Burrow is now more or less setting the direction for the Bengals. On the one hand, this is a dream scenario because Burrow is the undisputed leader of the team, making a statement and not beating around the bush. Above all, he doesn’t just talk, he also acts.

This is how you sharpen your profile on the side.

And in doing so, he takes the responsibility and the team with him. In the podcast “Pardon My Take,” he shared his vision: “You could convert some of the money into a signing bonus, which lowers the cap hit,” said Burrow.

And further: “You can move some of the money to the end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And when you get to the end of the contract, you can restructure it and turn it into a signing bonus. You can also just take less money.”

Ifs, buts, maybes. But the message is clear: everyone should pull together and do their part for the greater good.

Cincinnati Bengals: No half measures

It’s a dream scenario, but one with a lot of explosive potential. Because if the people in charge choose a different path or simply mess up, they would snub their superstar quarterback, and possibly the other top stars at the same time.

The consequences could be unpleasant, including the loss of the aforementioned key players. In that case, the team would have to start from scratch. In the worst case, with a quarterback who bails.

Which is why not only Burrow, but also the Bengals should be hell-bent on winning.