CINCINNATI: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow became the highest-paid player in the NFL on Thursday, agreeing to a five-year, $275 million contract extension, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The contract includes more than $219 million guaranteed, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it hadn’t been announced.
The deal, which will pay Burrow an average of $55 million a year, puts him ahead of other top quarterbacks in the league who signed new contracts in the offseason.
Beloved and teammates and fans in Cincinnati, Burrow has reversed the fortunes of the franchise while earning a reputation as a decisive and creative leader with a knack for figuring out how to pick up yards when plays break down.
Signing the 2022 Pro Bowler and 2021 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year to an extension was a goal of the team this summer, but the deal wasn’t finalized until three days before the Bengals’ season opener at Cleveland.
The market for quarterbacks was set for Burrow in late July when Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert agreed to a five-year, $262.5 million extension.
Herbert’s total value and $52.5 million average per season surpassed the $260 million, five-year extension ($52 million average) that Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson signed in April. Deshaun Watson agreed to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal with Cleveland in 2022.
