CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow is now officially the highest paid athlete in Cincinnati and NFL history.
The franchise quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals was rewarded Thursday with a five-year extension worth a reported $275 million dollars, keeping him in Stripes through 2029.
The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Burrow has two years remaining on his rookie contract, after the Bengals made the move of extending his fifth year option after last season.
Brian Ayrault of WME Sports, the agent for Burrow and Nick Bosa, has had quite the two days.
On Wednesday, Ayrault closed the Bosa deal with San Francisco on a $170 million deal with an average annual value of $34 million over the five-year extension, including $122 million guaranteed.
On Thursday, Ayrault consummated the richest deal in NFL history, at $55 million AAV with Burrow, totaling $275 million over the five years and including $219 million guaranteed. That’s $445 million of contracts in two NFL superstars.
Joe Burrow is now the fourth quarterback this off-season to sign a market resetting contract extension:
🏈 Joe Burrow: 5-years, $275M
🏈 Justin Herbert: 5-years, $262.5M
🏈 Jalen Hurts: 5-years, $255M
🏈 Lamar Jackson: 5-years, $260M— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2023
With a national title at LSU in 2019 in his back pocket, he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his first full season of 2021 after suffering an ACL tear that abbreviated his 2020 rookie year. He returned the Bengals to the AFC Championship last season before losing on a last-second kick.
How we all feel right about now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/CheIKvxVqu
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 8, 2023
Resiliency might be Burrow most defining character trait as a quarterback.
Consider:
- In 2020, he entered his first NFL season without a preseason or traditional spring orientation practices such as OTAs and minicamp due to COVID.
- Later that season, he tore his right ACL in an early November game against Washington and rehabbed to get back to game shape by 2021. He again did not have the benefit of a traditional spring workout due to his ACL rehab.
- In 2022, it finally appeared that Burrow would get his chance at a full offseason workout program and training camp. Then, on July 27, he suffered through an appendectomy when his appendix burst. He lost 15-20 pounds and had to rush to regain the weight and strength.
- And this season, things again seemed to be pointing to a full offseason workout when he pulled his right calf muscle on July 27 on the second day of training camp.
Throw on top of that the constant speculation about a massive contract extension while the team worked to extend Logan Wilson, Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins, and there has not been a lack of drama.
But the strength of Joe Burrow is his ability to put all of that in the rear view mirror and focus on the present. We now know how much that means to the Bengals.
The Bengals now turn their focus to trying to complete an extension for star receiver Tee Higgins, who also entered the NFL in 2020, one round after Burrow.
Higgins is represented by David Mulugheta of Athletes First, the same agency that represented Jessie Bates. Higgins is due a similar massive contract extension, one that is likely to place him in the top 5 of NFL receivers.
Do the Bengals view him as a franchise must-have with Burrow now extended through 2029? Davante Adams ($140 million) and Tyreek Hill ($120 million) have the top 2 deals while Cleveland’s Amari Cooper and Philadelphia’s AJ Brown each come in at $100 million.
The Bengals also would like to save some room for Ja’Marr Chase, whose rookie deal ends in 2025. The Bengals could wind up spending north of $200 million on Higgins and Chase in the prime of their careers, if they so choose.
Entering his fourth NFL season after the Bengals selected him first overall in the 2020 NFL draft, Burrow has lived up to expectations.
