Joe Burrow is staying in Cincy.
The 26-year-old quarterback reportedly agreed to a five-year, $275 million extension with the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The deal is set to make Burrow the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Burrow is now under contract through 2028. Heading into his fourth season, Burrow will become the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback by average annual value, as he joins Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts as the next young star signal caller to get paid this offseason.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2020, Burrow changed the outlook of the Bengals’ franchise. He played 10 games as a rookie before suffering a torn ACL and MCL, going 2-7-1 with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.
When Burrow returned in 2021, alongside his college teammate Ja’Marr Chase, everything was different. The Bengals instantly became a contender, starting the season 5-2 and winning the AFC North for the first time since 2015.
Cincinnati ran through the AFC postseason field, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs to advance to Super Bowl LVI. While they lost to the Los Angeles Rams in a close contest, it was clear that Burrow’s team had arrived.
The Bengals returned to the postseason in 2022, improving by two wins in the regular season while Burrow finished fourth in MVP voting. Once again, Cincinnati won its first two playoff games before visiting Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game – this time losing, 23-20.
Through 42 career starts, the LSU alum has 11,774 passing yards, 82 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. Burrow’s seven playoff starts and 1,826 playoff passing yards are the most among quarterbacks over the last two seasons.
The Bengals are seeking their third consecutive AFC North title this season, beginning in Week 1 against the Browns in Cleveland.
