In wake of Justin Herbert extension, Bengals' Joe Burrow explains his own contract mindset

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow walked into the Cincinnati Bengals locker room and took a seat at the locker nearest the entrance.

His microwave and chess board to his left, 89 teammates' cubbies to his right, Burrow grabbed his phone.

He’d just completed what he called a “pretty damn good” first practice of training camp on Wednesday afternoon, his throws hitting their targets and his movement unhindered by the ACL and MCL tear recoveries of the 2021 offseason or the appendix rupture of 2022.

On one hand, his smooth day felt expected: Burrow is a very good quarterback, teaming up with very good skill players, entering his fourth season with the same staff and system. He’s got the recipe for a very good practice.

And yet, as his mega-contract looms, and the temperature heats up even further amid the Los Angeles Chargers signing quarterback Justin Herbert to a five-year, $262 million extension on Tuesday, some in Burrow’s position would not have reported to camp as amicably.

Wednesday, he stood by his decision.

Thursday, a sudden one-legged hop and subsequent carting off the field brought a glaring reminder of what's at stake.

Head coach Zac Taylor said after practice that it was too soon to have information beyond the location of the injury: Burrow's calf.

But the QB's words from Wednesday rang eerily in the backdrop. He had explained why he didn't consider holding out, a familiar and often effective NFL negotiation tactic.

“Personally, I feel like in my position I don’t want to waste these days,” Burrow said. “I have to get better. I’ve wasted enough days the last two years with injuries and appendicitis and COVID the year before that. I don’t want to get out of camp wishing that I had seven more days that I could have got better.

“So that’s the reason I’m here.”

Burrow was careful not to criticize or pass judgment on any quarterbacks or other NFL players who opt to holdout as part of contract negotiations. Every situation is unique, he prefaced his comments, so who is he to determine the universally best way? But as Burrow strives to improve as much as he can as many days as he can, he feels he can’t afford to prioritize a hardline stance.

“Maybe business comes first at some point,” he said. Then he shook his head: “But I need these days to be my best.”

Because he knows he Burrow’s best has already proven exceptional.

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He’s completed 68.2% of passes for 11,774 yards, 82 touchdowns and 31 interceptions in three years. Burrow led the league with a 70.4% completion rate and 8.9 yards per attempt in 2021, the season he ultimately bested the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes in an edge-of-your-seat AFC championship game.

Consecutive AFC championship berths in Years 2 and 3? A Super Bowl berth in Year 2? Burrow is a linchpin of a culture that the league expects to be vying for this year’s Super Bowl title. Offseason acquisitions like left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. openly admit Burrow is a key reason why they sign with Cincinnati.

“A huge factor for me in coming here,” Brown said Wednesday. “He's very cerebral in his approach. He knows the game, he knows how to put everyone in the right position. He knows the system really well.

“He's got the keys to the car and, you know, it's very rare that someone is able to do that.”

Burrow wants to reach full throttle. He fashions his goals accordingly.

“I’ve been thinking about goals a lot lately,” Burrow said. “And I think where my mindset is these days is just improving every day. The point I’m at now, I’m one of the best in the world. And if I just continue to improve every day, I’m gonna help myself a lot more than if I set these goals that are tangible. So I’m just focused on getting better every single day.

“I know it’s cliche, but I think that’s the best way to go about it.”

He also thinks the best way to go about business is not to allow contract negotiations to cloud his mind, the ability to “hyperfocus” one of Burrow’s self-described strengths.

He didn’t reach out to Herbert, with whom he doesn’t have much of a relationship, after the extension wrapped. He is not discussing anything contract-related in public, nor are his agent and Bengals negotiators, per Burrow’s wishes. He will not put a timeline on the process, even to confirm whether he hopes he has an extension before the regular season.

“It gets done when it gets done,” Burrow said twice when asked contract-related questions. “We’ll see.”

And while Burrow has made clear he wants a deal that is favorable to himself and the Bengals both, he will not discuss publicly what that looks like.

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Does that mean Burrow, like Mahomes, will allow the team to control his rights for more years than he must? Mahomes signed a 10-year extension and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen a seven-year bump, both structured to allow their organization cap flexibility with teammates with the understanding that they’d appear increasingly underpaid as the salary cap rises.

A structural compromise may be more likely than a reduction in average annual value. But Tom Brady took a pay cut below market value with the New England Patriots later in his career. And Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers agreed to reduced guarantees with the New York Jets, per multiple reports.

Burrow hopes he can keep his talented receiving corps, which includes Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, intact.

“Obviously that’s the ideal situation,” Burrow said. “When you keep guys together for a long time, they build rapport and they build chemistry and that translates on the field.”

Said Higgins: “He wants his guys here with him to continue his success and continue our success as well. It means a lot that he cares about us and wants to keep us together.”

Bengals team owner Mike Brown reiterated this week that he’s “appreciative” Burrow is willing to sacrifice some of his potential earning power to front the most talented team. How that looks or when we’ll know? That remains unclear.

And Burrow remains unbothered.

He’ll appreciate the money when it inevitably lands. And he appreciates the chance to compete in a game he loves. But while Burrow will say unabashedly how talented he is and how well he played, he is not asserting his worth or value or entitlement to a contract.

Perhaps that stems from a similar place as Burrow’s reactions to fans at Wednesday’s practice. Burrow entertained their autograph requests. But he said he didn’t quite understand them.

“It’s always a little weird because … you’re just a guy, you know?” Burrow said. “So when people react that way, it’s always a little weird to me.

“Everybody’s just a guy.”

And before long, Burrow will be a far wealthier one.