The good news for Bengals fans is it appears highly unlikely Joe Burrow will play anywhere other than Cincinnati anytime soon. The bad news? Burrow’s contract extension may be on pause for a brief period, which would reportedly be a decision coming from the quarterback himself.
As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler explained on The Rich Eisen Show, there’s a chance Burrow could take a backseat while waiting for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to set the market with his own extension.
“Talking to other teams, I think Burrow could wait on [Justin] Herbert in L.A. Like, if Herbert can get a deal done first, Burrow can just say, ‘ok, well that’s the benchmark, give me a little bit more than that and we’ll all be happy,’” Fowler stated.
Both Burrow and Herbert have contracts (including a fifth-year player option) that run through the 2024 season, although the bump in pay for the fifth year is a big one for both. Although the fifth-year option gives teams a bit of additional time to negotiate, both players should realistically receive extensions sooner rather than later, but whichever quarterback blinks first and agrees to a deal will almost certainly land just behind the other in terms of contract size.
