The Cincinnati Bengals were expected to get a contract extension completed for Pro Bowl QB Joe Burrow prior to the start of the regular season. The thinking was that he should not, and would not, play another snap of football without a massive long-term deal on the books as he enters the fourth year of his rookie contract, having already established himself as one of the most important players in the NFL.
Well, the Bengals open the regular season in six days. There has been no word on the status of contract talks for some time. Burrow has only recently returned to the practice field, working on a limited basis, after missing extensive time due to a calf injury suffered while eluding a defender in an early training camp practice.
All the more reason, one might think, that he would be resistant to playing a snap without a new deal being done. But if that is their intention, then they seem to be running out of time—as is the case for the San Francisco 49ers and OLB Nick Bosa, and for the Kansas City Chiefs and DL Chris Jones, both of whom have been old-school holdouts this offseason.
So where are we with Burrow’s deal? Is it inevitable that they get something done before the start of the season? Would he be resistant to playing without signing on the dotted line? Or is he so confident in his place within the organization that he would be willing to take the field anyway, trusting that something would get done over the course of the season?
Unlike the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals have no hard and fast drop-dead date for contract negotiations prior to the start of the regular season. But even Pittsburgh has been willing to push the boundaries. One year, I believe it was on the plane ride over for a season opener when S Troy Polamalu finally put pen to paper on a new deal.
After all, it’s not like they have another option. In just three seasons, Burrow has already won as many postseason games as the Bengals had in their entire history prior to drafting him first overall in 2020. They cannot afford to give him an offer he can’t refuse, whenever that happens.
The original thinking was that the Bengals and the Los Angeles Chargers were in a high-stakes game of chicken to see who would cave first and get their quarterback deal done. Los Angeles has already given Justin Herbert a $262.5 million, five-year deal, however, while Burrow is sitting and waiting.
How much did his calf injury affect the negotiation timeline, if at all? More to the point, why isn’t a deal done, and when is it going to get done? It would be an upset if it doesn’t happen this week, but the clock is ticking.
