Much has already been said and speculated when it comes to the upcoming contract extension for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
And that extension is coming fast too as the Bengals have some urgency to get it done soon in order to stay ahead of the quarterback market and budget out how they’ll tackle free agency this offseason.
As many have speculated, the Bengals will have to leave their comfort zone of traditional contracts they give out in order to get Burrow’s extension done, per former agent Joel Corry. Meaning while they usually like to only throw guaranteed money in immediate signing bonuses and roster bonuses, that won’t work with Burrow.
Corry writes at CBS Sports that Burrow should approach talks with an eye on the booming cap growth expected soon:
“Burrow should consider insisting on an extension no longer than four years to be best positioned for the expected significant salary cap growth in the coming years, thanks to new media rights deals reportedly worth $113 billion over 11 years and an influx of gambling revenue. Four new years was the most common length for high-end quarterback contracts, especially with first-round pick extensions, before the Chiefs signed Patrick Mahomes to a 10-year extension in 2020 when he had two years remaining on his rookie contract.”
We’re just getting started on that booming cap growth too after the huge leap the NFL just announced for 2023.
Corry also thinks Burrow should demand the second-most guarantees behind the $230 million Cleveland gave Deshaun Watson. That seems fair given how outlandish that contract by the Browns was and that it has held up other major extensions like Lamar Jackson in Baltimore.
Realistically, onlookers have no idea how Burrow will actually approach talks, but these are sensible starting points. We do know that Mike Brown and the Bengals have never had a problem coughing up the money to pay quarterbacks and Brown has often cited the rolling guarantees of the contract signed by Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City as a possible structure, which is considered team-friendly. If Green Bay and break their traditional structure for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers for T.J. Watt, the Bengals won’t have an issue, either.
Burrow has the leverage to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, among other things, and the Bengals have the money and willingness. It’s just a matter of how, with the when likely very soon.
