Cincinnati Bengals
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Bengals general manager Duke Tobin spoke with the media at the NFL combine
The 2025 Cincinnati Bengals’ season was one to forget as the team missed out on the postseason for the third consecutive season. Quarterback Joe Burrow missed a large portion of the season as he suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2. Upon his return late in the season, the Bengals still had an outside chance of making the playoffs, but losses to the Ravens and Bills eliminated them.
The losses prompted quarterback Joe Burrow to make headlines with his comments at a press conference.He said,“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. I’ve been through a lot, and if it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for?”That led ESPN’s Adam Schefter to report that teams had begun taking notice of Burrow, which resulted in trade speculation.
Since then, Burrow clarified that his comments were not directed toward the Bengals, and the team has stated that the quarterback will not be traded. However, his words seemed to have rung alarm bells for the Bengals front office asNFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said, “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. I expect the Bengals to enhance and support everything Joe Burrow does.”
Cincinnati Bengals General Manager Sends Message
Now, Bengals general manager Duke Tobin has spoken about the expectations and pressure he is feeling heading into the 2026 season. He said, “We are all in.” He added that he had spoken with quarterback Joe Burrow, and neither was happy with the way the 2025 season turned out for the Bengals.
One potential move the Bengals could make that would represent the team being all-in is a blockbuster trade.They have previously been listedas a potential trade destination for pass rusher Maxx Crosby. Regarding a potential trade for the five-time Pro Bowl player,Sports Illustrated’s Zach Pressnel commented wrote, “Crosby would cost quite a bit in a trade, likely costing at least one first round pick in return. Micah Parsons was dealt for two first-round picks and Kenny Clark, but Parsons was also younger and more productive than Crosby at the time of the trade.
Either way, the idea makes a lot of sense. Crosby is one of the few pass rushers in the NFL who would provide the Bengals an upgrade over Hendrickson. The Raiders star has recorded double digit sacks in three of the last four seasons, with the only single digit sack season being one in which he missed five games.”
Upcoming Free Agents
Additionally, Duke Tobin also spoke about the Bengals upcoming free agents Dalton Risner and All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Regarding Hendrickson and the possibility of using the franchise tag, to then trade him,he said, “I don’t throw anything on or off the table with Trey. We’re excited about attacking this offseason. We have resources to attack this offseason in a big way. And we want to do that.”
On Risner,Tobin said, “He really fit in. He’s a guy we’ve talked to and we’ll see if we can get something done.”