The 2023 NFL offseason has been filled with massive quarterback extensions, and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow could be next. Burrow and the Bengals are discussing an extension for the former No. 1 overall pick, The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov reported on Tuesday.
“I’m involved. That’s in the works,” Burrow said in a news conference. “Not something I like to play out in the media. That’s the way they (Bengals) like to do business; that’s how I like to do business. Whenever you have other guys on the team that need to be paid, that’s a focal point.”
The Bengals picked up Burrow’s fifth-year option on April 25, which will pay him just more than $29.5 million this season. If Burrow is the next quarterback to receive an extension, he’ll join Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts as the second quarterback from the 2020 class to receive a long-term deal. Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension, with more than $179 million guaranteed in April.
Fellow 2020 quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa also had their fifth-year options exercised and are eligible for an extension.
Burrow has a case to be the highest-paid player in the NFL, given his on-field success. He’s led the Bengals to back-to-back AFC Championship games, advancing to the Super Bowl two seasons ago before losing to the Los Angeles Rams. Burrow has thrown for at least 4,400 yards passing and 34 touchdowns in the past two seasons.
Burrow’s division rival, Lamar Jackson, is the NFL’s highest-paid player. Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million deal in late April that will pay him roughly $52 million per season.
The former LSU signal-caller isn’t the only Bengals player due for an extension. Wide receiver Tee Higgins will play in the final year of his contract in 2023, and Burrow’s college teammate — Ja’Marr Chase — will be eligible for an extension next offseason.
The question for the Bengals is whether they can extend Burrow and keep the pass-catchers that have made them one of the NFL’s most consistent offenses the past two seasons.
