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Dehner's article today on Tobin's quotes about this process ( I read this as very positive on Burrow working with them to find a structure that benefits both him and team):

 

https://theathletic.com/4262864/2023/02/28/joe-burrow-contract-bengals-duke-tobin/

Quote

 

Three years ago this week at the NFL Scouting Combine inside the Indianapolis Convention Center, Joe Burrow sat at a microphone and took questions about his future in Cincinnati.

 

He answered them in the cool way Burrow uniquely does, quashing the retrospectively ridiculous rumors he wouldn’t want to play for the Bengals when they inevitably drafted him first.

For the first time that day, when it came to the Bengals, Burrow proved to be everything they hoped he would be.

 

Only feet away from that very spot, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin stood Tuesday, again with Burrow’s unique fit with Cincinnati back under the microscope. The topic this time was what will inevitably be Burrow’s becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history.

 

As he is extension-eligible for the first time, those conversations with Burrow’s side are ongoing. The Bengals have a sense of what the range of total money will be, Tobin said. Figuring out the structure to find what works for all involved is the current work in progress.

 

In the early stages of this process, Tobin said, Burrow’s sense of how his contract can facilitate winning in how he shapes it hasn’t been lost on the 26-year-old quarterback.

Not surprising.

 

That’s where Burrow once again — for seemingly the millionth time — has proved to be everything the Bengals had hoped.

 

“I think Joe understands better than most people,” Tobin said when asked whether Burrow had thoughts about structuring his contract to keep pieces around him. “That’s what makes him a great player. Joe sees the big picture. Not only after he takes the snap from the center but when he’s walking around the locker room and going to practice. Working out in the offseason. Joe sees the big picture. That’s what makes him great.”

 

The big picture involves the Bengals’ retaining the flexibility to keep as many pieces around Burrow as possible to take the final step toward a Super Bowl title that’s narrowly eluded them two consecutive seasons.

 

As for where all these talks stand, working on it has lived as the top priority of this offseason.

 

“Sooner is better,” Tobin said. “We’re going to worry about it first and we’ll see.”

 

The market rate places the potential contract at more than $50 million per season on average. With a landscape-changing outlay hanging in the balance, knowing the specific parameters of building the rest of the roster would be an advantage. Tobin said the offseason objectives could still go forward without a finalized deal because of what’s already been discussed.

 

“I think we’ve got an idea of what that deal is going to look like,” he said, “whether it’s done in completion or not.”

 

There were no predictions on how the timing could play out other than opening with the fact it wasn’t done yet.

 

“Maybe it’s the first piece to come,” Tobin said. “Maybe it’s the last. But we’ll work towards it. We’re not going to rush the process … It’s of vital importance to us. It’s important to Joe, and we’ll work to try and get it accomplished.”

 

Burrow spent time in Las Vegas during Pro Bowl weekend but has been a regular visitor to the team facility in the month since the Bengals lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

 

“He’s a guy who’s around the building a lot, working out there, pops in the office just to catch up and see what’s going on,” coach Zac Taylor said.

 

There’s a respected distance given in the aftermath of the seven-month grind of the season, but staying in contact has always been important and continues to be ongoing during this critical juncture of negotiations.

 

“You don’t want to overstep that way, but he’s a big part of what we do and we want to make sure we’re always communicating with him,” Taylor said, acknowledging he leaves the contractual details to the front office. “Again, he’s very valued.”

 

That value will soon be given a number. One the Bengals will have no problem paying.

 

A question popping up in conversations at bars, hotel lobbies and, yes, podiums going live to NFL Network in Indianapolis wondered whether the Bengals will pay up.

 

It sounds silly to anyone with even loose knowledge of the love affair between player, team, city and ownership surrounding the face of the franchise.

 

Of course they will. Nobody needed Tobin to confirm that at the combine. The Bengals will make Burrow a rich man because it’s what they do. Yeah, you read that right.

 

Despite the archaic notion that still floats around cyberspace of the Bengals’ being “frugal,” that’s just not been the case with quarterbacks. They paid Boomer Esiason twice. They made

Carson Palmer the highest-paid player in NFL history at the first instant they could in January 2006, six days before his knee was torn up one pass into his playoff debut.

 

They gave Andy Dalton six years and $96 million the August after his third consecutive playoff defeat and first offseason to make such a deal.

 

As much as Burrow makes everything feel different, much of this for the 52-year-old Tobin and the Brown family ownership is a road they’ve comfortably gone down before.

 

“The numbers are higher,” Tobin said. “The numbers keep going up. The process is pretty similar. When you have an elite player like Joe, you kind of know the universe you are going to be living in. Then it’s just a matter of maybe getting the structure to where everybody feels good about it.”

 

There’s plenty to feel good about. Brown loves quarterbacks. He loves this team and this city. Hence why, just like seemingly everyone else in those offices, he loves Burrow.

Brown proved it by taking his father’s name off what’s now Paycor Stadium partly to pile cash into escrow needed to guarantee his future. The CBA dictates cash that’s guaranteed for a player must go into escrow as part of that contract. The deadline for that is the final day of March. Waiting to sign the deal after that day would push the point at which the cash must be paid into escrow to March 31, 2024. More time to collect that much cash, the better, so it could serve as a motivator to wait.

 

Tobin wasn’t commenting on escrow dates, merely stating “we haven’t put any deadlines on it.”

 

The most important element is that the contract leaves room to keep most of the core of this team that’s made the final four in back-to-back seasons together. There was no commitment to that eventually involving an extension for Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, and Tobin merely pointed out that the trade conversation around Higgins is “ridiculous” but that he is under contract for this year and they can talk to him about an extension down the line.

 

Burrow is the first priority. From there, they see what it all looks like.

 

“There are some things we can control with the first- and second-year cap numbers and eventually the dollars have to count,” Tobin said. “And we want to be responsible on how we count those dollars so we don’t get into issues as we go along in the out years. I just can’t predict when it’s going to get done but we’re aware of the range it’s going to be.”

 

That’s where Burrow’s understanding of how all of this complicated process works makes all the difference. And yet another reminder of how he continues to deliver a dream No. 1 selection.

 

“I don’t have predictions on when something might get done,” Tobin said. “It’s of vital importance to us. It’s important to Joe and we’ll work to try and get it accomplished.”

 

 

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9 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

It should be..

At The very leas as much as Mahomes updated scale which would be more..

 

 

What difference, really, does the amount of money this—very much human— person make? 
 

Will his entertainment value go up, if he is making more than the GDP of many small countries? 

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1 hour ago, Le Tigre said:

What difference, really, does the amount of money this—very much human— person make? 
 

Will his entertainment value go up, if he is making more than the GDP of many small countries? 

JB didnt set the scale of these enormous QB contracts.

 

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The team should exercise their right to his 5th year in 2024. That will come with a salary of about 30 mil for 2024. An extension should be from the end of that deal (or maybe even after a tag year or two). So maybe something like 5 years 275 mil with 175 mil guaranteed at signing and split signing bonuses. 

 

His cap number in 2023 is 11.5 mil. For 2024 it would be 30 mil. With Tag 1 it would be 36 mil. Tag year 2 would be 44 mil. 

 

So it could end up with him signed for 9 years for 400 mil or thereabouts. That's similar to the Mahomes deal and fairly favorable to the team, all things considered. 

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6 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

[snip]

His cap number in 2023 is 11.5 mil. For 2024 it would be 30 mil. With Tag 1 it would be 36 mil. Tag year 2 would be 44 mil. 

[/snip]


Don’t you think that the QB tag in 2025 is going to be significantly North of $36M?  :shrug: 

 

 

 

 

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47 minutes ago, High School Harry said:

 

It isn't going to be a lot of fun Sunday afternoons watching our GOAT get slaughtered

in the backfield.

 

If we're being honest that's been the formula since he got here, and it has been fun. Frustrating as hell at times, but still undeniably fun.

 

I'll believe they intend to change that and put a solid OL in front of him when it happens.

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11 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

If we're being honest that's been the formula since he got here, and it has been fun. Frustrating as hell at times, but still undeniably fun.

 

I'll believe they intend to change that and put a solid OL in front of him when it happens.

Having all their money tied up in one player is not a good long term plan.

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like i said sign him now at a discount (but he'll still make more then he would if he waits till the end of 5th year option.) and i am not talking a 20 mil/yr type discount, but they could go with a mahomes like deal with 10 year 450 mil with the last 2 years at  60 and 70 mil base.  which would make it a 8 year 320 mil .  which would break down to a 32-40 mil per year .  if he wants a team around him and more pay now it would be to his benefit to do this, if its all about "show me the money" we can talk after the  5th yr option.

 

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21 hours ago, Cricket said:


Don’t you think that the QB tag in 2025 is going to be significantly North of $36M?  :shrug: 

 

 

 

 

 

It may well be, depends on how much restructuring other teams do. The 36 mil is based on the guaranteed 20% increase over the prior year's cap number. 

 

The non-exclusive tag number at each position is based on the average of the top 5 cap hits at the position for the prior year. It's 32 mil for 2023 even though lots of QBs have deals which have much higher APYs than that. The exclusive franchise tag for QBs hasn't been calculated yet for 2023 but is expected to be around 46 mil. 

 

IMO the team would be better off waiting a year and using the last cheap season on Burrow's deal to make a run. But it also needs to keep the star happy and if he wants to do a deal this year, they will have to do it this year. 

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2 hours ago, Skilly McRailnob said:

Are "opt out" clauses an option in the NFL like they are in MLB?  Just thinking of Joe signing a below market deal in terms of $ but including frequent chances to opt out so if the Bengals don't reinvest the savings Joe is giving the club, he leaves.  

 

Sure. There can be player or team options or voidable conditions. But unless there is a specific prohibition on tagging him, even if he's out of contract the team can tag him.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/15/2023 at 2:38 PM, Skilly McRailnob said:

Are "opt out" clauses an option in the NFL like they are in MLB?  Just thinking of Joe signing a below market deal in terms of $ but including frequent chances to opt out so if the Bengals don't reinvest the savings Joe is giving the club, he leaves.  

Interesting thought.

Hopefully we see his contract in full after he signs..

Lemar is waiting too..😎

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