Joe Burrow, Bengals reach agreement on 5-year, $275M contract extension
Joe Burrow just got paid. The Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback inked a record-breaking deal on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Per the report, Burrow reached an agreement with the Bengals for a five-year, $275 million contract extension. Of that total, $219.01 comes in guaranteed money. The new deal makes the quarterback the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Timing couldn’t be better, as the 2023 regular season starts on Sunday for Burrow and the Bengals. They’ll play the Cleveland Browns to open the year.
Burrow is considered one of the top players in the league and Cincinnati obviously has a lot of interest in keeping the quarterback in town for quite some time.
Burrow wasn’t in a hurry to get deal done
During the offseason, Burrow’s contract situation proved to be a topic of conversation. The quarterback himself, though, didn’t appear too bothered by the situation.
“I’m focused on getting a deal done that’s good for us, good for me, good for the team and good for everybody,” Joe Burrow said after Cincinnati finished its first training camp practice.
“The whole goal when you get in league is to get a second contract. I’ve played well. I’ve done everything you can do, it gets done when it gets done.”
Obviously, patience paid off for Burrow. His willingness to wait allowed him to land the most lucrative deal in the history of the league. Not bad.
Burrow enters fourth year in NFL
When Burrow hits the field in 2023, it’ll be his fourth in the league. The former No. 1 pick over LSU has emerged as one of the top players in the league in a short period of time.
After suffering an injury in 2020, he bounced back and won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2021. Then, a year later, he led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance.
Burrow has transformed Cincinnati into a regular AFC contender and Super Bowl threat on a yearly basis during his four seasons with the team. And now that he’s locked up long-term, the Bengals should remain in that conversation for a considerably long period of time.
In his first four seasons in the NFL, Burrow has thrown for 11,774 yards with 82 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. He owns a 24-17-1 record as a starter for the Bengals.