It didn’t take long for the Bengals to go from working on a contract extension with linebacker Vontaze Burfict to getting one done.
Shortly after Josina Anderson of ESPN reported that the two sides were talking about extending their working relationship, her colleague Adam Schefter reported that Burfict and the team agreed on a three-year deal. Burfict was in the final year of his deal and is now signed through the 2020 season.
Schefter reports that the deal is worth $38.68 million, but full financial details have not been reported.
Burfict will be suspended for the first three games of the season for violating the league’s on-field safety rules and was suspended for the first three games of last season for the same reason. Those suspensions and Burfict’s other in-game penalties for hits or extracurricular activities have hurt the Bengals, but the extension makes it clear that any negatives are not enough for them to overlook the productivity he’s brought to the defense since joining the team in 2012.