The Bengals-Chiefs rivalry might have just grown a little spicier.
Joe Burrow is a top-five NFL quarterback and one of the biggest names in pro football. And on Thursday night, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cincinnati Bengals gave him a huge contract extension, with $219 million guaranteed over five years. But that’s probably not the most notable revelation about Burrow’s new lavish bank account.
That’s because the Bengals announced Burrow’s extension at just about the exact time the rival Kansas City Chiefs began their 2023 NFL season opener at home — a.k.a. “Banner Night” for the defending Super Bowl champions.
Of course, this could be a coincidence.
Late Thursday might just be when the final details were ironed out in Burrow’s deal. But given the intensity between two AFC heavyweights over the last couple of years, the timing appears way too fishy. It’s almost as if the Bengals were trying to undercut the Chiefs’ thunder of having the honor of opening the season as the reigning champs.
“Burrowhead” was a big deal during last year’s playoffs, stirring a lot of animosity between both squads. I certainly wouldn’t put it past the Bengals to try and take attention away from the Chiefs when they can. And I bet there will be more potential episodes like this in the future.
This was how Twitter reacted to the timing of Burrow's extension right as the Chiefs game started
Announcing as the Chiefs unveil their banner is an lol petty move. https://t.co/62gOt97xrz
— Alex Smith (@AlexSmithSNY) September 8, 2023
Man, the timing of this feels like when Arod opted out during the 07 World Series https://t.co/Is4iv8RmxI
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) September 8, 2023
This came out at the exact moment Patrick Mahomes took the field 👀 https://t.co/KKW1ejI6ie
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 8, 2023
Is it me or is it no coincidence they waited til the Chiefs started playing to announce this lol https://t.co/Yr51MuP6Wr
— Cale Ahearn (@caleahearn11) September 8, 2023
Timing it right with the start of the season, nice. https://t.co/YMEE01wBR3
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) September 8, 2023
Announcing this at kickoff of Chiefs-Lions puts a new twist on Burrowhead https://t.co/PNUMGxUsJf
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 8, 2023
Lmao you won’t convince me this timing wasn’t intentional https://t.co/plX6tVjEFG
— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) September 8, 2023
At kickoff of the Chiefs game. Unreal timing. https://t.co/g125UJcc4P
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 8, 2023
not Joe Burrow stealing the shine of opening night? https://t.co/cYQamUFW2z
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 8, 2023
