One big thing we've already learned about Joe Burrow's looming contract extension with Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will almost certainly have a new contract when the 2023 season gets underway. Burrow is eligible for an extension for the first time in his career this offseason and the Bengals are expecting to get a deal done — likely sooner rather than later. The former LSU standout is one […]
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will almost certainly have a new contract when the 2023 season gets underway.
Burrow is eligible for an extension for the first time in his career this offseason and the Bengals are expecting to get a deal done — likely sooner rather than later.
The former LSU standout is one of the sport's biggest stars after breathing life into a Bengals franchise that struggled the previous few seasons before his arrival.
While we don't know how much the contract will be worth that Burrow receives from Cincinnati, we do know, based on a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, how the contract will likely look.
Fowler appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter this past weekend and he reported that extension talks are "underway" between Burrow and the Bengals. He also reported that Cincinnati wants "to do this early, just three years into his rookie deal, to try to spread out that salary-cap hit".
The "spreading out that salary-cap hit" part of Fowler's report suggests that Burrow will be receiving an extension similar to the one that Patrick Mahomes signed with the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2020 season.
Mahomes signed a 10-year deal worth $477 million (with the potential, via bonuses, to be worth over $500 million).
The large and lengthy deal ensured that Mahomes would be among the highest-paid athletes in the world, while also allowing Kansas City to spread out the cap hit. The Chiefs also have plenty of room for various restructures when needed.
It sounds like the Bengals are going to try to lock in a similar deal for Burrow, which would allow Cincinnati some flexibility when it comes to extending players like wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Burrow deserves to be paid like a superstar. And he will be. But we also know that having championship-caliber talent on the roster is important to Burrow. While he's likely going to sign one of the bigger deals we've seen for an NFL player, it won't be a deal that handicaps Cincinnati's ability to compete for Super Bowls in the future.
