NFL insider makes strong statement about when he thinks Joe Burrow will return to the field
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a calf injury earlier this week that could cause him to miss "several weeks" according to head coach Zac Taylor. Burrow's injury comes at a time when he's trying to work out a contract extension with Cincinnati. Burrow and the Bengals haven't said much publicly about the looming extension. […]
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a calf injury earlier this week that could cause him to miss "several weeks" according to head coach Zac Taylor.
Burrow's injury comes at a time when he's trying to work out a contract extension with Cincinnati.
Burrow and the Bengals haven't said much publicly about the looming extension. And that's by design — both sides want to keep negotiations out of the media as much as possible.
The calf injury, however, adds an interesting element to the negotiations.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport thinks Burrow won't hit the field again until he's agreed to a contract extension with the Bengals.
"We know it's (negations) ongoing," said Rapoport during an appearance on NFL Network on Sunday morning. "There's been discussions. There's been negotiations. And there's nothing yet. Now, I personally would be surprised if we see Burrow on field again — until he gets a contract extension that will no doubt make him the highest paid player in the NFL. As far as a timeframe? The only guess here is that it's some point before the season."
This is probably how things will play out. And it's not because Burrow doesn't want to be on the field — I think every Cincinnati fan knows it'll be tough to keep him off the practice field. It's mostly because Burrow's agent will likely tell him he needs to stay off the field until the extension is done. The last thing that Burrow needs is a setback as he's working to negotiate what will presumably be a longterm extension that sets the young quarterback and the franchise up for plenty of future success.
Ultimately, all that matters is getting Burrow healthy and getting the deal done. While it's not ideal for Burrow to miss another large chunk of training camp and preseason action, it's not like it's going to have a negative impact on the Bengals. After all, this is how Burrow's first few off-seasons in the NFL have gone so far. And two of those seasons resulted in a trip to the AFC Championship game.
Joe Burrow addresses controversial moment during Bengals training camp
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow addressed a controversial moment during Bengals training camp
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar / USA TODAY NETWORK
