Former National Champion Claims Joe Burrow Sent Threats to Bengals’ Front Office, Leading to Dexter Lawrence Trade

The Bengals have significantly boosted their defense by adding Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook and former NT Breiden Fehoko believes that it happened because of Joe Burrow.

Former National Champion Claims Joe Burrow Sent Threats to Bengals’ Front Office, Leading to Dexter Lawrence Trade

Joe Burrow and Dexter Lawrence (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Joe Burrow's frustration with the Bengals' performance reportedly led him to pressure the front office for roster improvements.
  • Cincinnati traded their 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft to acquire defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants.
  • The Bengals also signed several key defensive players, including Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe, to bolster their struggling defense.

In 2024, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow led the NFL with 460 pass completions for 4918 yards and 43 touchdowns. The Bengals finished as the best passing offense, the sixth-best scoring offense, and the best red-zone offense. Often, a team with these stats makes a deep playoff run. Not the Bengals. They did not even qualify for the postseason.

That’s because Cincinnati’s leaky defense was ranked near the bottom in nearly every metric possible. They struggled to cut off the deep balls, sacks dried up, and the defensive line just couldn’t contain the run. The Bengals finished 9-8, and it was only possible because Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown outscored the other team.

Burrow did not even try to hide his frustration in front of the media when asked about the disastrous season. Analysts even speculated that the Pro Bowler and one of the highest-paid signal callers in football would force his way out of the Bengals.

Burrow stayed. He won the opening two games, but then picked up a toe injury that needed surgery to be fixed. After undergoing a three-month rehab, he returned to the starting lineup once more. He finished the season with a 5-3 record in eight appearances.

But the damage was already done. Cincinnati turned to Jake Browning when Burrow hurt himself. Browning went 0-3, forcing the Bengals to trade for a 41-year-old Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns. Flacco added stability to the offense, but he posted a 1-5 record. Cincinnati finished with a 6-11 record and missed the playoffs for the third straight year.

If the offense was bad, then the defense was putrid. The Bengals’ defense conceded more touchdowns (60) than any other team, ranked 32nd against the rush, and ranked 30th as a scoring defense.

Burrow, Chase, and Higgins’ money takes up some of the cap space, so the Bengals don’t have much room to make big signings. So the next best options were either to trade their first-round pick or search for a rookie who can have an immediate impact on the team.

The Bengals opted for the first one. Over the weekend, Cincinnati agreed to send its 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft to the New York Giants in exchange for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Sure, a defensive tackle is not a glamorous position to spend such a high draft pick, but the upside is massive. Lawrence is 28 and has a ton of experience in the league.

Moreover, Lawrence is not the only player the Bengals have signed in the offseason. They brought in Super Bowl-winning pass rusher Boye Mafe from Seattle, two-time Pro Bowl DT Jonathan Allen, and two-time Super Bowl-winning safety Bryan Cook.

Former NFL nose tackle Breiden Fehoko credited Burrow for creating pressure on the Bengals owner and front office to make notable additions to the defense.

Joe Burrow sent threats to that front office that he wasn’t happy. Since then, they went and got Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, etc. This is how you go all in for your franchise quarterback.

Breiden Fehoko tweeted

With Lawrence’s addition to the team, the Bengals now have a little over $1.4 million in cap space (Over The Cap) to work with.

Dexter Lawrence shares his opinion on Joe Burrow

The Giants’ quarterback room had a revolving door throughout Lawrence’s seven years with the team. Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Russell Wilson, Jaxon Dart, and a few others played under center for the Giants.

Former National Champion Claims Joe Burrow Sent Threats to Bengals' Front Office, Leading to Dexter Lawrence Trade
Joe Burrow (Image via IMAGO)

It’s a different story in Cincinnati. Burrow is the undisputed number one, and barring injury, he is guaranteed to start every week. And Burrow is among the few quarterbacks who are capable of going toe to toe with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Matthew Stafford. Lawrence acknowledged Burrow’s greatness while speaking with the Bengals’ Geoff Hobson.

For the longest, I’ve been thinking he’s [Joe Burrow] one of the top quarterbacks in the league, if not the top. It’s going to be fun to share a field with him and to watch him up close, to see how he prepares, how he studies, how he leads guys and gets guys going. I’m excited for that part of it.

Lawrence said

Burrow boasts an NFL record 68.5% passes completed; he’s a two-time Comeback Player of the Year, three-time Pro Bowler, and defeated Mahomes to reach the Super Bowl in the 2021-22 season.

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