The Cincinnati Bengals have been busy this offseason and shown their fan base they are willing to change the way they do business in their quest to win a Super Bowl.
From acquiring three new defensive starters in the early phase of free agency, to the shocking trade for Dexter Lawrence, the team has made it clear it understands the need to improve on defense.
It also restructured Joe Burrow’s contract – something the franchise doesn’t typically do.
This offseason has been different for the Bengals. They’ve let their actions speak for them, and excitement inside and outside the walls of Paycor Stadium are at an all-time high.
Once a year, Cincinnati Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn sits down with local reporters to discuss the state of the franchise. On June 15, Katie and newly appointed vice president Elizabeth Blackburn, spoke to four local media outlets, including The Enquirer, and discussed a number of topics.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Blackburn’s 30-minute media session:
Here’s why Dexter Lawrence was a player the Bengals felt was worthy of trading away a first-round pick
Katie Blackburn: “We were obviously looking to make some improvements on the defense, and had been looking at some different things through the offseason and obviously were extremely happy to have added Jonathan Allen, (Boye) Mafe. But obviously, defensive tackle was a spot we kept talking about a lot. It is just the timing of – a lot of it, I guess was driven by the (New York) Giants in terms of that opportunity came up and we just thought it was a perfect fit for what we were trying to do. We found a way to try to get it done, or decided we wanted to move forward if we could find a way to get it done.”
Why did the Bengals restructure Joe Burrow’s contract?
The Bengals restructured Burrow’s contract recently to give themselves $10 million more in cap space, according to reports. Burrow is under contract with the Bengals through the 2029 season.
KB: “In fairness, because this happens a little bit with some of the other quarterbacks, there have been some conversations with (his) agent a little bit. But it’s sort of built into his contract to be able to do this. But they’ll reach out about sort of where things might be headed or that kind of stuff. So, we had a few conversations during the offseason about it, saying we’ll keep it in mind and know that it’s something that we have to work with. Then it was pretty easy when we got to the point that we did it.”
Were his agents pushing for it to happen?
KB: “I think they were just acknowledging that it’s there. It’s something that we could, I don’t know if you say take advantage of, but use if we felt appropriate. But like I said, it’s a little bit of moving something from here to there when you do it. We’ve always been pretty careful of trying not to make things unbalanced. So we’re thoughtful about not trying to create something that is problematic in the future, so we’re balanced about doing it. If we can do it and it can help us, then we’re certainly open to doing it, and this time we did.”
Reflecting on the Bengals’ disappointing 2025-26 season
KB: “I mean, you can feel the fans’ sense of satisfaction, we all feel it, we all feel the same thing, and you always want to win. The injury to Burrow did not help, obviously, and that was a real part that I think we tried to weigh in a little bit as we looked at it retrospectively. So, you know, we’re hoping he’s going to stay healthy this year, and we get a fair shot at it, because I do think we have a good chance to do really well if we can keep key guys out there on the field, and at least we, I think we have a real shot to do really well.”
On playing in Madrid, Spain, and the future of international games for the Bengals
The Bengals will play the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 8 at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. This game marks the first time the team has played internationally since 2019.KB: “It’s just been fun to see the fan reaction. Our fans seem to be really excited about us going to Madrid, and there’s a lot of interest from a lot of fans joining us over there. I love the fact that they’re enthusiastic about it, so hopefully if we go again next year, they’ll be presented with another opportunity to have another chance to see us perhaps play abroad. The scheduling of the international games is definitely league-driven. So, we’ll see what happens.”
Is a new stadium on the horizon in Cincinnati? What does the future of Paycor Stadium look like?
In August 2025, the Bengals and Hamilton County agreed on the terms of a new lease to ensure the team continues to play games at Paycor Stadium for the next decade. The new deal runs through 2036, and it includes 10 option years to potentially continue the agreement through 2046.
Should fans expect the city of Cincinnati to build a new stadium for the Bengals in the future?
KB: “Our goal is to continue to get as much use out of this building as we can for the sake of the county and the investment that’s been made here. We think it’s beautiful and practical. I do have some concerns that too many stadiums are going indoors. I like the outdoor aspect, but obviously, as you look at revenue and that, people seem to lean towards the indoor. We like this stadium. We’re going to do our best to get as much out of it as we can, and we’ll see how long we can make that happen.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Burrow’s contract. New stadium coming? Q&A with Bengals ownership
Reporting by Kelsey Conway, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kelsey Conway, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
