NFL Media reported previous to a divisional playoff recreation towards the Bills that the Bengals are focusing on quarterback Joe Burrow, 2020’s first total choose, for a contract extension this offseason. As a 2020 draft choose, Burrow grew to become eligible for a brand new deal on Jan. 9, the day after his third common season ended.
“Yeah, I feel that begins now internally,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stated in Monday’s season-ending press convention when requested a few new Burrow contract. The Bengals misplaced 23-20 to the Chiefs in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. Burrow is scheduled to make $5,545,018 in 2023 on an $11,515,043 wage cap quantity. The Bengals will certainly choose up their fifth-year choice on Burrow for a totally assured $29.504 million in 2024 previous to the May 2 deadline.
Fully assured contract prospects
A totally assured contract has been an enormous sticking level in AFC North division rival Lamar Jackson’s negotiations with the Ravens. Jackson performed on a fifth-year choice this season because of his insistence of a totally safe deal just like Deshaun Watson’s.
The Browns, one other AFC North rival, gave Watson a totally assured five-year, $230 million contract in connection together with his commerce from the Texans final March. The Watson contract is an anomaly as subsequent high-end quarterback offers, notably Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson’s respective five-year extensions with the Cardinals and Broncos, weren’t absolutely assured.
Burrow will possible encounter heavy resistance to a totally assured contract, identical to Jackson. The Bengals are at midnight ages with regards to structuring contracts for veteran gamers. The solely assured cash in Cincinnati veteran contracts is a signing bonus and a roster bonus payable inside a number of days of signing.
The greater offers include a 3rd or fifth day of the league 12 months roster bonus within the second and third years. The roster bonuses are speculated to be substitutes for extra contract ensures. The total ensures in Cincinnati contracts are normally lower than comparable offers on different groups.
Adherence to a longstanding most popular contract construction will likely be problematic. It’s arduous to think about Burrow accepting a brand new deal the place the one true assured cash is within the first 12 months when Murray and Wilson, the newest two quarterback information factors, have $103.3 million and $124 million absolutely assured at signing. The respective total ensures of their contracts are $160 million and $161 million, whereas the biggest signing bonus ever for an NFL participant is Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s $66 million.
Expect the Bengals to determine a brand new contract precedent with Burrow because the Steelers did with edge rusher T.J. Watt in 2021 on a four-year extension that made him the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. The Steelers additionally refused to have conventional wage ensures in veteran contracts till Watt’s. His $80 million absolutely assured at signing was a report for non-quarterbacks.
The Packers construction contracts the identical method because the Bengals. The solely exception has been quarterback Aaron Rodgers. For instance, Rodgers grew to become the NFL’s first $50 million per 12 months participant final March with a contract broadly thought-about to be $150.815 million over three years though there are two extra below-market years (2025 and 2026) within the deal. He established new requirements for assured cash in soccer contracts with $150.665 million in whole ensures and $101.515 million absolutely assured at signing till Watson’s absolutely assured contract a few weeks later.
The Bengals seemingly have been making ready to present Burrow a contract with a standard construction. The naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium had been bought to Paycor, a Cincinnati-based firm specializing in human sources software program final August. The settlement is for 16 years. Additional crew sponsors have additionally been added.
These strikes will make it simpler for the Bengals to adjust to the NFL’s archaic funding necessities that ought to come into play for a Burrow contract. Teams are primarily required to place into an escrow account the quantity of any ensures in a contract apart from these only for damage, together with ones in future contract years.
Becoming the NFL’s highest-paid participant
Burrow changing into the NFL’s highest-paid participant must be a special story than a totally assured contract. The Bengals put 2003 first total choose Carson Palmer on the high of the league’s wage hierarchy when he signed a six-year extension averaging $16,166,167 per 12 months proper earlier than the tip of his third common season in 2005. Rookie contracts could possibly be prolonged after two years again then.
Burrow has a greater case for being the league’s highest-paid participant than Palmer did. Palmer was finishing a breakout season through which he earned Pro Bowl honors by main the NFL in completion share (67.8%) and with 32 landing passes. His 101.2 passer score was second within the league. The Bengals snapped a playoff drought relationship again to the 1990 season by successful the AFC North with an 11-5 report.
Burrow has put himself within the league’s finest quarterback dialog together with his constant play over the past two seasons. He led the NFL with a 70.4 completion share whereas throwing for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns to publish a 108.3 passer score in 2021. The Bengals ended a 31-year postseason victory drought earlier than shedding to the Rams in Super Bowl LVI.
Burrow garnered his first Pro Bowl choice this season whereas throwing a career-high 35 landing passes. He had 4,475 passing yards and a 100.8 passer score. Cincinnati’s 5 playoff wins over the past two seasons with Burrow below middle are as many because the 55-year-old franchise had within the first 52 seasons.
Burrow ought to think about insisting on an extension not than 4 years to be finest positioned for the anticipated important wage cap development within the coming years, due to new media rights offers reportedly value $113 billion over 11 years and an inflow of playing income. Four new years was the most typical size for high-end quarterback contracts, particularly with first-round choose extensions, earlier than the Chiefs signed Patrick Mahomes to a 10-year extension in 2020 when he had two years remaining on his rookie contract. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz signed four-year extensions respectively with the Rams and Eagles in 2019 when there have been two years remaining on their rookie offers. The first large quarterback deal after Mahomes was Watson’s four-year extension with the Texans when he additionally had two years to go on his rookie contract.
Burrow ought to make having the second-most ensures behind Watson’s $230 million a requirement in a contract that provides at the least 4 new years. Wilson is at the moment second with $124 million absolutely assured at signing and $161 million in total ensures. Murray had $160 million assured for damage at signing that may develop into absolutely assured at varied dates throughout the contract. An extra $29.5 million in latter years of Murray’s contract, which is not assured for damage at signing, may also develop into utterly safe to convey the full quantity that may be assured to $189.5 million. The reported $133 million absolutely assured within the provide Jackson rejected earlier than chopping off negotiations shortly earlier than the common season began can also issue into the equation.
It’s a matter of when, not if, Burrow would be the league’s highest-paid participant offered he’s prepared to use his leverage. As lengthy as Rodgers’ $50,271,667 per 12 months remains to be the usual, it would not be shocking for Burrow’s new deal to exceed $52.5 million per 12 months. A $52.5 million common yearly wage can be lower than a 5 p.c enhance over Rodgers.
