Jalen Hurts continues to watch teammates leave the Philadelphia Eagles after their Super Bowl LIX win, with one of those champions joining Joe Burrow‘s Cincinnati Bengals for the 2025 NFL season.
On Monday, the Bengals announced that they’ve signed linebacker Oren Burks to a two-year contract to keep him in Cincinnati through the 2026 NFL season. The player hit unrestricted free agency after winning the Super Bowl with the Eagles last season.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt in 2018, when he got selected by the Green Bay Packers. After three seasons at Lambeau Field, he signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
His tenure in the Bay area was followed by a one-year stint on the Eagles, where he ended up playing a key role for Hurts and company in their Super Bowl LIX victory over the two-time defending champions Kansas City Chiefs.
Burks’ contribution to the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win
Even though his first start in Philadelphia didn’t come until Week 17, Burks proved crucial for the Eagles in the 2025 NFL playoffs. With Nakobe Dean injured, he stepped up big time.
In four games played in the postseason (three starts), Burks recorded 25 combined tackles, with 16 solo tackles and three tackles for loss. In addition, he recorded two quarterback hits and one pass defended. He also contributed to a stellar defensive performance in Super Bowl LIX with five tackles against the Chiefs.
Before joining Burrow’s team on Monday, Burks made sure to say goodbye to Hurts and everyone on the Eagles with a heartfelt letter posted on social media: “It’s been an honor to go to battle for this organization, my teammates who have become brothers, and this city who embraced me with open arms.”
Bengals put Burrow in a position to succeed
In Burks, not only are the Bengals getting a recent Super Bowl champion but also an experienced player with seven NFL seasons under his belt. Burks boasts 108 regular-season appearances (17 starts) with 161 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, three passes defended, one interception, four forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered.
To give Burrow even more reasons for optimism, the Bengals have reportedly tied star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term contract extensions. The city of Cincinnati dreams of a Super Bowl title, and the team looks determined to bring it home.