When you’re the quarterback — the face of the franchise — you carry influence not just on the field, but off it as well. That influence comes with responsibility. It’s about more than just throwing touchdowns; it’s about leadership, standing up for your teammates, and using your platform to support them when it matters most. Joe Burrow has embraced that role over the past year.
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After publicly advocating for the Bengals to extend wide receiver Tee Higgins, Burrow is now voicing his support for another key teammate: star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. With Hendrickson seeking a contract extension, the Bengals have been reluctant to meet his value — and that hasn’t sat well with the defensive standout. Burrow, recognizing just how crucial Hendrickson is to Cincinnati’s defense, made his stance clear to reporters: “Trey deserves to get paid based on how important he is to our defense.”
NFL legends Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson weighed in on the situation, backing Burrow’s support and emphasizing how vital Hendrickson is to the Bengals’ success. Sharpe, in particular, pointed to the glaring reality: even with Hendrickson, Cincinnati’s defense has struggled. Letting him walk — or risking him sitting out — would be a disaster for a unit already lacking playmakers.
Sharpe used a sharp analogy to drive the point home. He compared the Bengals to a chronically ill patient arguing over insurance, saying it’s ironic that those who need protection the most often resist paying for it.
“Think about how bad the defense was, and you had Trey Hendrickson with 17.5 sacks. You take him out, and where will you get that production from? Man, I don’t know if I can afford this insurance. Can you afford to be without it, given your history? You know you got hypertension, diabetes, etc. So the question isn’t Can you afford it? The question is, can you afford not to have it? You know how many games you give up 30+ points, and you lost? You score 38, and you lose. How many of those?”
The message was clear: the Bengals can’t afford not to pay Hendrickson. They lost games last season despite scoring 35 or 40 points, largely due to defensive breakdowns. Without Hendrickson anchoring the pass rush, things could spiral quickly in Cincinnati.
However, Ocho had only one question on his mind- affordability. With most of the Bengals’ money tied up in the offense, they don’t have much space left in the salary cap to pay Hendrickson deserves more than $30 million a year, given his numbers.
” I wish I knew what the books look like. I understand the salary cap continues to go up year in and year out. But we got a $40 million receiver, we got a $30 million receiver, and we got a $55 million QB. What he deserves at the Defensive End with two 17.5 sacks seasons, he got a get upwards of $30 million. That’s tough. I wouldn’t know what to do in that situation.”
