The Cincinnati Bengals are about to run into one of these situations I would classify as a “good problem.” They’re probably going to have too many good players to keep, including superstar quarterback Joe Burrow and elite playmaking receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, among others.
With Burrow entering the fourth year of his rookie deal, contract extensions for one of the NFL’s elite signal-callers have started to heat up in the background. In case there was any doubt, the financial future of the Bengals’ MVP-caliber player takes precedence in almost all discussions.
Assuredly, Burrow knows this reality. But he still described how vital help is in a recent press conference video originally shared by the Bengals:
Joe Burrow: "You've gotta have good players. I mean, it doesn't matter how good your quarterback is. If you don't have good players around him, you're not going to be a good team."
(🎥 @Bengals) pic.twitter.com/a1n07Xf4dX https://t.co/WiNTKrVrDq
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 16, 2023
This is a fascinating and entirely true stance from Burrow. Perhaps more than some of his peers, Burrow is often decried as a “system” player because he can throw to two special wideouts like Chase and Higgins. Never mind that, as he describes, every quality quarterback needs quality support to thrive. It’s the nature of the game — you’re only as good as your teammates.
That said, even if Burrow knows financial flexibility and spreading the wealth (literally) will be necessary for the Bengals to maintain continuity for continued success, it doesn’t mean he’s about to sign a team-friendly extension. If anything, a player with a Super Bowl berth, two consecutive appearances in the AFC title game, and 69 touchdown passes over the last two years will expect Cincinnati to reward him like the field-tilting franchise changer really is.
If that means the Bengals must make roster sacrifices elsewhere, so be it. It’s not on Burrow to necessarily worry about the financial ramifications when his own payday is on the line. A common comparison in these situations is that of Tom Brady and how he “helped” the New England Patriots with a salary cap hit that never really hamstrung them in the latter parts of his career. However, while Brady put the Patriots first with his personal contract, he eventually more than made up for that in off-field endorsements as the face of pro football.
Burrow may well eventually get to that point, but entering Year 4 of his career, he will likely be much more in line with the current market. If you thought the recent handsome extensions for Lamar Jackson with the Baltimore Ravens and Jalen Hurts with the Philadelphia Eagles broke the bank, I’d call it a virtual guarantee that Burrow comfortably surpasses them in relevant numbers. And then some.
Great quarterbacks are only as great as the sum of their parts. This is valid. But that doesn’t mean great quarterbacks like Burrow will suddenly settle for less money in the name of the team.
That’s not how this works now and that’s not how it’s ever worked.
