Joe Burrow, the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, is expected to become the highest-paid player in NFL history with a contract extension. Burrow is extension-eligible this offseason, and the Bengals are expected to retain him after he led them to their third-ever Super Bowl appearance in his second season. Burrow has set the team’s single-season passing yardage and touchdown records, averaging 4,543 yards passing and 35 touchdowns over the past two years.
According to Dov Kleiman from BroBible, Burrow is predicted to receive more than $50 million per year in his new contract, potentially resetting the market for quarterback contracts. According to Yahoo Sports insider Charles Robinson, the deal may vary between $55 million and $60 million per year in his new contract,
#Bengals QB Joe Burrow and #Chargers QB Justin Herbert are both eligible for contract extensions and are expected to surpass $50 million per year on their new deal.
Aaron Rodgers is currently at league high $50.3M a year and the young QBs will pass that number, per @JFowlerESPN pic.twitter.com/EB6K79DJeX
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 24, 2023
Bengals GM Duke Tobin has expressed the importance of Joe Burrow to the team “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.”
The deal is expected to be completed this offseason, but the Bengals will need to have guaranteed money saved in an escrow account to pay out top players like Burrow, as well as receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bengals have until March 31, 2024, to have the money in the account if they wait until after March 31 to make the agreement.
Burrow had signed a four-year rookie contract worth $36.1 million with a signing bonus of $23.9 million as the first overall pick back in 2020. He now has one year left on his rookie contract. With his impressive performance on the field, Burrow is set to secure a new contract that will make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Pre-Joe Burrow contract: who is currently the highest-paid player in the NFL?
There are several star players with massive contracts in NFL. However, by the size and potential pay-out of the contract, until Joe Burrow’s extension takes place, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes who is currently the highest-paid player in NFL. Then again, it’s only based on the size, value, and potential payout of a contract, not by guaranteed pay.
Back in September 2020, quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a massive contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs that could potentially pay him the most of any single deal in North American sports history. The extension is worth $502.631 million over 12 years, with incentives that could see Mahomes earn $1.25 million each year for taking the Chiefs to the Super Bowl and $1.25 million for winning the MVP.
The contract included only $141.428 million in guarantees over the 12 seasons, meaning that the majority of the payout is dependent on Mahomes achieving his incentives. However, Mahomes is off to a hot start and has already earned his full incentives, which makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.
