With the Cincinnati Bengals entering the 2026 offseason after Sunday's Super Bowl, there is no denying that a main goal is building a winning team around the franchise quarterback. As Burrow's future with the Bengals has been a constant talking point, the latest from an NFL insider suggests that he should be well taken care of in building around him.
Rapoport spoke on “NFL GameDay” about how Cincinnati won't even entertain offers for Burrow, as he is their obvious quarterback of the future. While there was a lot of drama built after some comments made by Burrow during this past season, there was some intrigue from other teams in the NFL, but that doesn't appear to be likely.
Instead, the team is looking to improve with Burrow next season.
“This is a trade topic. You're gonna see Joe Burrow's name pop up on the bottom of the screen. Bengals fans, do not freak out,” Rapoport wrote. “I do not expect Joe Burrow to be traded. I do expect teams to call the Cincinnati Bengals after it appeared that Burrow expressed some discontent with Cincinnati late in the season. They are the Bengals. He is their franchise quarterback, not expected to go anywhere. But 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.”
The Insiders on @NFLGameDay with @JudyBattista, @TomPelissero & @MikeGarafolo: Changes to replay assist are coming; #Dolphins likely to move on from Tua Tagovailoa, plus latest on Tyreek Hill; #Bengals plan to spend to support Burrow; No trade talks yet for #Eagles WR AJ Brown. pic.twitter.com/Nx39oIQWQx
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 8, 2026
Where the Bengals are looking to improve
While it was a nightmare season for the Bengals, the team is looking to bounce back with Burrow under center, but it seems like the franchise will focus more on improving the defense.
“Now, Burrow was clear talking during the Pro Bowl,” Rapoport wrote. “He likes Cincinnati, saying basically during the press conference. He kind of just had a bad day. Those are allowed, sometimes even at press conferences. But I expect the Bengals to enhance and support everything Joe Burrow does to spend probably more on the defense than anything else.”
Cincinnati looks to improve after finishing 6-11, which put them third in the AFC North.
