It bears repeating — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will surely be the NFL’s highest-paid player if his extension happens this summer.
The overall narrative about Burrow’s extension has taken a team-friendly vibe, but the reality is that his upcoming deal can be that while also technically making him the highest-paid player in the NFL.
That’s something ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler hit on during a broadcast recently.
“I’m told the Bengals have made their initial push to sign Joe Burrow, they have started that negotiation process with Burrow and his agents,” Fowler said. “Now with a deal this complex, there will be a lot of back and forth, probably a lot of counter proposals, but the ball is at least rolling. And I’m told the Bengals’ plan is clear — they want to get Joe Burrow done so that they can also focus on the core.”
Fowler added this at the end: “Burrow will no doubt be the highest-paid player in the NFL once his deal does get done.”
At this stage, none of this is a secret — Burrow has even commented on how his extension talks have included keeping guys like Tee Higgins around him.
But once the ink hits paper on an extension, Burrow’s certainly going to rank near the very top in guaranteed cash and overall value, at least until the next quarterback signs his deal. The “team-friendly” aspect will come from structure and timing, potentially similar to the rolling guarantees Patrick Mahomes got from the Chiefs, if at all.
“Joe Burrow will no doubt be the highest paid player in the NFL once his deal does get done.” – @JFowlerESPNpic.twitter.com/1u4uu0XKld
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 23, 2023
