The Cincinnati Bengals have created $10 million in salary cap space this coming season by restructuring Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow’s contract, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

The Bengals moved from near the bottom of the league in effective cap room, $7.1 million, per reports, to in the middle. The team could have restructured up to $19.2 million by converting his entire base salary to a bonus, per the reports.

The team announced on Tuesday that second-round draft pick Cashius Howell, a defensive end out of Texas A&M, signed his rookie contract, meaning all of the Bengals’ seven draft selections are under contract.

Burrow signed a $275 million, five-year contract extension in September 2023, including $219 million in guarantees, according to reporting at the time.

Now 29, Burrow has been supportive of the Bengals’ uncharacteristic spending on free agents and a blockbuster trade since finishing 6-11 and missing the playoffs for a third straight season in 2025.

“We’re going to go win a lot of games this year and play great and win a Super Bowl,” Burrow told reporters after a voluntary workout last month.

Cincinnati signed former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook to a three-year, $40.25 contract and former Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe to a three-year, $60 million deal. The team also signed former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to a two-year, $25 million deal.

The defense also got a major boost when the Bengals traded the 10th overall pick in April’s NFL draft to the New York Giants for three-time All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who signed a one-year, $28 million extension for the 2028 season following the deal.

Cincinnati selected Burrow with the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU.

Burrow is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, including in 2025 when he completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions in only eight games (all starts) because of a turf toe injury.

He has started all 77 regular-season games that he has played and completed an NFL-record career-best 68.5% of his passes for 20,810 yards, 157 TDs and 51 interceptions. Burrow has thrown for another 1,826 yards, nine TDs and four picks in seven playoff games.

He was voted the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in both 2021 and 2024.

–Field Level Media

NEW YORK — Referees missed a foul call on Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama when he shoved Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in the first quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday.

Without a whistle on Wembanyama, the play continued with San Antonio on offense. A replay review appeared to show Brunson, who was on defense and working through a screen on the play, making initial contact with his left hand and grabbing a fistful of Wembanyama’s jersey, prompting the retaliatory shove. With his own left hand, Wembanyama aggressively shoved Brunson in the upper back and neck area, sending him toward the floor.

But it remains unclear if either player will be cited for any offense in the review of the matter on the off day before Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.

NBA head of officiating Monty McCutchen said Tuesday the league is reviewing the play, and holds the ability to retroactively assess a flagrant-1 foul. The NBA rulebook deems “unnecessary contact” a flagrant-1 foul, because it goes beyond the actions warranting a common foul.

If the NBA issues a flagrant-1 for the play, Wembanyama would not be subject to a suspension. But the Spurs’ big man would be skating into Game 4 on thin ice.

Wembanyama has already obtained two penalty points for a flagrant-2 foul in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against Naz Reid of the Timberwolves.

All players can accumulate a total of three penalty points in the playoffs. If Wembanyama’s shove is upgraded to a flagrant foul, he would have three penalty points. His next flagrant in the Finals would prompt an automatic suspension.

Julian Champagnie had the ball on the left wing facing San Antonio’s basket with Landry Shamet defending when the action happened near the foul line and away from the play.

Brunson was also called for a flagrant foul closing out on a Champagnie 3-pointer. Officials said he did not provide ample landing space for the Spurs’ deep threat. Brunson had little to say about the non-call postgame.

“Whatever you saw is what you saw,” Brunson said.

A flagrant-2, described as justified in the rulebook when “unnecessary and excessive or reckless contact” is “committed by a player against an opponent,” would prompt an automatic ejection.

–Field Level Media

After admitting to a bit of FOMO, Isabelle Harrison doesn’t wish to miss out on any more action this season.

Harrison aims to give the Toronto Tempo another boost on Wednesday when the expansion club hosts the Connecticut Sun in a Commissioner’s Cup game.

Harrison scored 14 points in her season debut on Sunday afternoon, fueling Toronto to its third win in four outings with an 85-68 victory over the Chicago Sky.

Sidelined since training camp due to a dislocated thumb, Harrison didn’t look the worse for wear by making 6 of 9 shots from the floor while also grabbing six rebounds for the Tempo (6-5, 1-1 Commissioner Cup).

“I felt like I was a coach for a little too long, I was getting a little FOMO (fear of missing out),” Harrison said of her time on the sideline. “(I wanted) to just be out here with the girls, and just be a part of the process of building.”

Said Toronto guard Brittney Sykes: “It’s a testament to her as a human being. She was out really early in the season, and was never apart from us.”

Sykes poured in 25 points on Sunday to boost her season average to a career-high 20.1 points per game.

While the Tempo are ascending in the standings, the Sun (2-11, 0-3 CC) find themselves in the cellar following losses in three straight games.

Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa each scored a season-high 15 points and Saniya Rivers added 12 in Connecticut’s 89-80 home setback to the New York Liberty on Monday.

The shorthanded Sun were without center Brittney Griner (rib) and forward Aneesah Morrow (left leg), and their absences contributed to the team getting outrebounded by a 42-28 margin.

“I think with us just having numbers down and people down, it’s just next-man-up mentality,” Nelson-Ododa said, per CT Insider. “I think that was our focus tonight. As a team, as a collective, it’s to come out, step up for one another, and really compete in this game.”

Connecticut did itself no favors from the free-throw line, making just 13 of 23 attempts. The Sun are converting a league-worst 67.3% of their free-throw attempts on the season.

Morrow collected 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals in Connecticut’s 83-78 victory over Toronto in a preseason game on April 29.

–Field Level Media