Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow became the NFL’s highest-paid player ever on Thursday, agreeing to terms on a five-year, $275-million contract extension, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The reported deal also includes $219 million guaranteed.
Burrow’s new $55-million average annual salary tops that of Justin Herbert, who’s making $52.5 million per year after recently signing a new contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles also inked market-resetting deals this past offseason.
Burrow has taken the NFL by storm since the Bengals drafted him first overall in 2020. After a torn ACL ended his rookie campaign prematurely, the LSU product led the league with a 70.4% completion rate and won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2021. Last season, he completed 68.3% of his passes for 4,475 yards and a career-high 35 touchdowns en route to finishing fourth for MVP.
With Burrow under center, Cincinnati has reached the AFC title game in each of the last two seasons. The star signal-caller helped the Bengals reach their first Super Bowl in 33 years, but they fell short against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.
Signing Burrow was the Bengals’ main priority this offseason. Cincinnati has important financial decisions to make in the near future, as wide receiver Tee Higgins is entering the last year of his rookie contract and two-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher Ja’Marr Chase will be eligible to sign an extension next year.
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