NEWSLETTER
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is next on the clock in the offseason of quarterback paydays. Speaking with reporters after a Bengals practice on Tuesday, Burrow said that he’s “pretty clear” on what he wants in his looming extension with Cincinnati.
Joe Burrow was asked about his extension and what the status of the negotiations was on Tuesday:
“I’m involved. That’s in the works,” Burrow told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s not really something that I like to play out in the media. Just the way I think they want to do business, I want to do business. So, we prefer to keep that between us.”
Burrow was asked if he has spoken with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen about his second contract. Allen signed a six-year, $258 million extension in 2021. Burrow said that he hadn’t spoken with Allen, who was suggested as a reference point for the type of deal that Burrow might be in line for.
“No, I haven’t really talked to (Allen) about it,” Burrow said. “I’m pretty clear on what I want in the contract and what I think is best for myself and the team. So we’re on the road to making that happen.”
So, the important thing there is this: “I’m pretty clear on what I want in the contract and what I think is best for myself and the team.”
At first glance, this seems like Burrow is willing to give the Bengals a “hometown discount” of some sort. It’s no secret that Cincinnati has some big-name players to extend after Burrow, such as Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, to name a couple big ones.
That would be nice. However, it’s not going to be a significant discount. Burrow might give the Bengals a fair shake for the sake of continued team success on the field. Still, he’s not going to get slighted in an offseason that has seen $773,800,000 in new money allocated to quarterbacks, with $516,551,500 of that guaranteed (per Spotrac).
Here’s what the new money for quarterbacks (not counting rookies) looks like this offseason:
So, yeah, that’s a lot of money. Of course, there’s plenty more earmarked for Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes. The Bengals will end up paying Burrow something closer to what Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts received. Burrow might take a deal structured favorably for the Bengals. We saw Patrick Mahomes do that in 2020. But the Bengals aren’t getting a free pass by any stretch of the imagination.
However, Cincinnati has done an excellent job of drafting. So, plenty of young and cost-controlled talent is on the roster to help soften the impact of Burrow’s mega-extension.
