NEWSLETTER
Just minutes into the NFL’s opening act a player not even on the field tonight sent shockwaves across the football world. According to multiple reports, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to a contract extension that will make Burrow the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Burrow’s new deal is worth $275 million for five seasons and includes $219.01 million in guaranteed money.
There was growing optimism regarding a deal getting done between Burrow and the Bengals this week, and the two sides have crossed the finish line on the historic deal.
The Summer of QBs Closes with Joe Burrow’s Historic Extension
Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve crowned the “highest-paid player in NFL history” in what has been an incredible offseason for the league’s brightest young signal-callers. alen Hurts was first in the offseason of quarterbacks. Fresh off of an NFL title and a trip to the Super Bowl, Hurts was rewarded with a five-year extension worth $255 million (with $179 million guaranteed).
Just before the NFL Draft, it was Lamar Jackson’s turn. Jackson topped Hurts by five million with a five-year, $260 million deal that included $185 million in guaranteed money. Naturally, Herbert topped them both, besting Lamar Jackson by $2.5 million, with more guaranteed in case of injury.
Justin Herbert became the latest to raise the bar for the ever-increasing quarterback market when he inked a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Chargers in late-July. In terms of guaranteed money, Herbert is guaranteed $133.7 million at signing, which includes the signing bonus, the two option bonuses and his base salaries through 2025. His 2026 and ’27 salaries are guaranteed for injury, increasing the guarantees to $193.7 million. And $25 million of his 2028 salary will be guaranteed at a later date, leading to the $218.7 million in total guarantees.
Burrow bested both the overall value and guaranteed value of Herbert’s deal, and will make roughly $55 million per season.
Burrow is the best quarterback in football not named Patrick Mahomes, but being No. 2 doesn’t mean the Bengals didn’t have to pay him like No. 1. Cincinnati shelled out the largest contract in history to secure the face of their revitalized franchise for the foreseeable future.
