OTL: A Newsworthy Day Around the AFC North

Burrow Has Interesting Thoughts on Hendrickson to Baltimore

It’s not uncommon in today’s NFL to see a player end up with a rival of their former team. Saquon Barkley was traded from the Giants to the Eagles, Patrick Queen signed as a free agent in Pittsburgh after leaving Baltimore, Aaron Jones going from Green Bay to Minnesota…those are just a few we’ve seen over the last few seasons. This past free agency cycle, Cincinnati fans witnessed star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson head to Baltimore to join the Ravens. It was viewed by many pundits as one of the best free agency signings of the offseason.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, however, doesn’t seem too surprised by the signing. Burrow spoke with the media on Wednesday, it being his first opportunity to give his thoughts on the offseason signing. Burrow stated he was not shocked, following it up by saying, “I just know how he operates” with a smirk.

Was it playful banter, or was Cincinnati’s leader taking a true shot at his former teammate? Hendrickson had his series of disagreements with the Bengals, dating back to last offseason when he was in the market for a contract extension. The NFL world watched as Hendrickson held in at training camp while also requesting a trade from Cincy. The veteran pass rusher refused to play under his current contract at the time, before receiving a $14 million bonus, upping his salary to $30 million for the 2025 season.

If it was a shot at Hendrickson, it’s quite a hypocritical one if you ask me. Burrow is the first one who seems to complain when the team isn’t living up to their standards, but was also a large advocate for re-signing both wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to $115 million deals.

Defense has been a major concern for the Bengals organization for quite some time now. They did acquire defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, but will it be enough to replace their sack leader?

Rodgers Confirms “This is It.”

After officially returning to the Steelers and reuniting with former head coach Mike McCarthy on Saturday, Aaron Rodgers confirmed on Wednesday that the 2026 season will be the finale for the future Hall of Famer. It seemed to be the ongoing question surrounding every offseason since his Achilles injury in 2023, almost ad nauseam. After Wednesday, Rodgers finally put an end to the speculation, confirming he will retire at the age of 43, two years shy of Tom Brady (45).

Rodgers is a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer, and without a doubt a Top 10 quarterback of all-time; some may even say Top 5. He’s a 4x MVP (11’, 14’, 20’, and 21’), currently 5th in all-time passing yards (66,274), 5th in completions (5,696), and 4th in passing touchdowns (527). The Ravens have a golden opportunity to potentially ruin the finale of a historic 22-year NFL career. Rodgers and the Steelers handed Baltimore two gut-wrenching losses last year: a Week 14 bailout from the officials (yes, the NFL even admitted it) and a missed Tyler Loop field goal in Week 18 as time expired allowed Pittsburgh to sweep the season series.

As we learned last Thursday, Baltimore and Pittsburgh are set to meet yet again in the season finale. Should it be yet another tight race to the finish line in the AFC North, Jackson and the Ravens could have a chance to not only get revenge for two detrimental losses last season, but to put an end to Aaron Rodgers’ career as a whole.

They allowed Ben Roethlisberger to end his regular-season career with a win at M&T Bank Stadium in 2021. It’ll be intriguing to see if Rodgers can do the same, regardless of how far out it is.

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