While Jalen Hurts was the first quarterback from the 2020 draft class to receive a contract extension, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow likely won’t be far behind.
Cincinnati picked up Burrow’s fifth-year option — a move that was more of a formality than anything else given the quarterback’s performance over his first three seasons. But in a statement announcing the move, the team also noted that it was working with Burrow and his representation to secure the quarterback’s “long-term future as a Bengal.”
Burrow was asked about a potential contract extension during his first press conference of the offseason on Tuesday.
“I’m involved. That’s in the works,” Burrow said. “That’s not really something that I like to play out in the media. That’s something — just the way, I think, they want to do business, I want to do business, we prefer to keep that between us.”
Burrow added that there are a lot of different ways the contract can work out. But he also made it seem as if the organization should know by now exactly what he wants.
“I’m pretty clear on what I want in the contract and what I think is best for myself and the team,” Burrow said. “So, we’re on the road to making that happen.”
To that end, there are other players who either are or will soon be in line for an extension. Burrow is fully aware of that and said playing QB can’t be a one-man band.
“It’s definitely — whenever you have guys on the team that need to be paid, that’s always on your mind,” Burrow said. “You want that to be a focal point. So, we’re working to make that happen.
“You’ve got to have good players,” Burrow later added. “It doesn’t matter how good your quarterback is if you don’t have good players around him, you’re not going to be a very good team.”
In the last two years, Burrow has helped the Bengals reach Super Bowl LVI before falling to the Chiefs in January’s AFC Championship Game.
It stands to reason that Burrow and Cincinnati will agree to a new contract sooner than later in the spring or summer.