Here’s why the QB wanted to be the NFL’s highest-paid player as Joe Burrow and the Bengals gear up for a contract extension.

NFL Media reported that the Bengals are targeting their first overall pick of 2020, quarterback Joe Burrow, for a contract extension this offseason ahead of the divisional playoff game against the Bills. As a 2020 draft pick, Burrow qualified for a new contract on January 9, the day after his third regular season ended.

‘Yeah, I think it’s starting internally now,’ says Bengals Head coach Zach Taylor The Bengals lost 23-20 to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game on Sunday. Burrow is expected to earn $5,545,018 in 2023 with his cap number of $11,515,043. The Bengals are sure to pick his fifth-year option for his $29.54 million Burrow, fully guaranteed in 2024, by the May 2 deadline.

Fully guaranteed contract prospects

A fully guaranteed contract is a major obstacle in AFC North division rival Lamar Jackson’s negotiations with the Ravens. Jackson played the fifth-year option this season as he insisted on a full-safety deal similar to that of Deshawn Watson. Another AFC North rival, the Browns, gave Watson a fully-guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract in connection with a trade from the Texans last March. Watson’s contract was an anomaly, as his subsequent high-end quarterback contracts, notably his five-year extensions with the Cardinals and Broncos, Kyler, Murray, and Russell, respectively, were not fully guaranteed. am.

Burrow, like Jackson, is likely to encounter strong resistance to a fully guaranteed contract. The only money guaranteed in Cincinnati’s veteran contract is a signing bonus and a roster bonus paid out within days of signing.

Bigger deals include day 3 or 5 of league year roster bonuses for years 2 and 3. Roster bonuses should substitute for additional contract guarantees. Overall guarantees for Cincinnati contracts are generally lower than comparable contracts for other teams.

Adhering to the long-preferred contract structure is problematic. Murray and Wilson’s latest two quarterback data points, he’s $103.3 million and he’s $124 million, are fully guaranteed at the time of signing. It’s hard to imagine. While the overall contract guarantees are $160 million for him and $161 million for him, respectively, the biggest contract bonus ever for an NFL player is Cowboys quarterback Duck his Prescott contract. That’s his $66 million.

Hope the Bengals set the precedent for a new deal with Burrow, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, much like the Steelers did with edge rusher TJ Watt in 2021 with a four-year extension. Please. The Steelers have also rejected traditional salary guarantees in veteran contracts until Watt’s deal. His $80 million fully guaranteed upon signing is a record for a non-quarterback.

The structure of the packer shrinks in the same way as the Bengal. The only exception is quarterback Aaron Rodgers. For example, Rodgers became the NFL’s first $50 million a year player last March, signing a deal widely believed to be $150.815 million over three years, but the deal includes two years ( 2025 and 2026) have been added. He set a new standard for bond deposits in football contracts, with a total guarantee of his $150.665 million, fully guaranteed at the time of signing and a few weeks later Watson was fully guaranteed $151.515 million. We signed a guaranteed contract.

The Bengals appear poised to give Burrow a contract under a conventional structure. The naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium were sold last August to Cincinnati-based HR software specialist Paycor. The contract is for 16 years. Additional team sponsors have also been added.

These moves will make it easier for the Bengals to comply with the NFL’s archaic funding requirements for signing Burrow. Teams are basically required to put in an escrow account any non-injury contract guarantees, including those for future contract years.

Become the NFL’s highest paid player

Burrow becoming the highest-paid player in the NFL should be a different story than a fully guaranteed contract. 2003 first overall pick Carson Palmer at the top of the league’s salary hierarchy when he signed a six-year contract extension. after that.

Burrow has a better case than Palmer of being the highest-paid player in the league. was finishing a breakout season to win the . His 101.2 passer rating was his second in the league. The Bengals won the AFC North with his 11-5 record, staving off a playoff drought dating back to the 1990 season.

Burrow joins the conversation for the best quarterbacks in the league for his consistent play over the past two seasons. He led the NFL with his 70.4 passing percentage, threw for 4,611 yards and he threw for 34 touchdowns, and in 2021 he recorded his rating of 108.3 passers.

Burrow earned his first Pro Bowl selection of the season while throwing a career-high 35 touchdown passes. His passing yards were his 4,475 and his passer rating was his 100.8. His five wins in the playoffs in Cincinnati’s last two seasons, led by Burrow, equal what the 55-year-old franchise has won in his first 52 his seasons.

Thanks to an influx of gambling revenue and new media rights deals reportedly worth $113 billion over 11 years, Burrow is best positioned for the significant salary cap increase expected over the next few years. High-end quarterback before the Chiefs sign Patrick Mahomes to a 10-year extension in 2020 when he had two years left on his rookie contract. The most common length of contract was four years. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz signed four-year extensions with the Rams and Eagles in 2019, when they had two years left on their rookie contracts. Mahomes’ first big quarterback contract was Watson’s four-year extension with the Texans, with two years left on his rookie deal.

Burrow should be required to have the second largest guarantee behind Watson’s $230 million in a new contract that adds at least four years. Wilson is currently in second place, with his $124 million fully guaranteed at the time of signing, and his overall guaranteed amount of $161 million. Murray had insured $160 million for injuries at signing which could be fully insured at various dates during the contract. His $29.5 million late addition to Murray’s contract is fully insured as he is not insured for injuries at signing, bringing the total insured amount to his $189.5 million. A reported $133 million fully guaranteed in an offer that Jackson rejected before breaking off negotiations just before the regular season began could also play into the equation.

If Burrow is willing to use his leverage, it’s just a matter of when Burrow becomes the highest-paid player in the league. As long as $50,271,667 a year for Rodgers remains the norm, it’s no surprise that Burrow’s new contract will exceed $52.5 million a year. The average annual income of $52.5 million is less than his 5% increase for Rodgers.