INDIANAPOLIS — The Cincinnati Bengals and star quarterback Joe Burrow have not finalized a contract extension just yet.
Bengals director of personnel Duke Tobin fielded several questions from local and national media members about the matter at the NFL combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday.
"It's not done yet,” Tobin said. “You know, it's a good problem to have. I have been pretty vocal about what Joe means to us, and my job is to facilitate his success as best I can with putting pieces around him, and his contract will get done when it gets done. But it's a good problem to have. He's a vital part of what we're doing."
Burrow became eligible to receive his second NFL contract immediately after the 2022 season ended. The former No. 1 overall pick just completed his third season with the Bengals.
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New contract for Joe Burrow is Bengals' top priority
A new contract for Burrow is Cincinnati’s No. 1 priority this offseason. His deal remains at the center of almost every decision the team will make in terms of who they will re-sign or not.
Burrow is currently making $9 million heading into the fourth season of his rookie deal. It’s likely he will become the highest paid quarterback when his new deal is done.
Currently, Aaron Rodgers is the highest-paid quarterback set to bring in $50.3 million in the upcoming season. After Rodgers is Russell Wilson, who signed a five-year deal worth $245 million with $165 million guaranteed.
How the Bengals will structure Burrow’s contract remains one of the biggest questions.
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Cincinnati’s owner Mike Brown hinted the Bengals could set up Burrow’s deal similar to how the Chiefs handled Patrick Mahomes’ contract. Mahomes signed a 10-year deal worth $450 million in 2020, giving him an average annual value of $45 million.
Often asked about his contract and not necessarily being the highest paid quarterback at the moment considering the quarterback market continues to reset, Mahomes pointed to the number of years he’s being taken care of as what he values most.
“I sort of like how Mahomes said he doesn’t care about what those guys are getting,” Brown said in July of 2022. “He’s set for life with what he’s got. And why isn’t that a good way to look at it, I’m thinking.”Burrow recently said he wants to be in Cincinnati for his entire career.
“My plan is to be here my whole career, and hopefully Zac (Taylor) is here my whole career,” Burrow told NBC ahead of the Wild Card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Bengals have an idea of what Joe Burrow's new contract will look like
While the contract extension is not done yet, Tobin says the team has an idea of what it will look like. This will allow the Bengals to be able to create their plan for free agency in a few weeks. The new league year begins on March 15.
“I think we’ve got an idea of what that deal is going to look like, whether it’s done in completion or not,” Tobin said. “I don’t have predictions on when something might get done. It’s of vital importance to us. It’s important to Joe and we’ll work to try and get it accomplished.”
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