Bengals News (7/30): Going Dark

Joe Burrow and Boomer Esiason connect at Paul Brown Stadium during Bengals training camp
Whether he was the NFL Man of the Year or the NFL MVP or the Voice of Monday Night or just the plain best locker room leader the planet has ever known, Boomer Esiason always went in style. And so Thursday is no different as a golf cart takes him between appointments at Paul Brown Stadium.

Bengals' Tee Higgins stares at failure every day, and wants someone to pay
The first number is 908, which marks his receiving yardage last year. It was the fourth-highest total posted by a Bengals rookie in franchise history, trailing only A.J. Green (1,057), Cris Collinsworth (1,009) and Eddie Brown (942). So it makes sense he would want to commemorate putting himself in such heady company.

Joe Burrow is working hard to convince Cincinnati Bengals to let him play
Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow hasn’t played in an NFL game since last November when he tore his ACL in the Cincinnati Bengals’ week 11 matchup against the Washington Football Team. Burrow, who was drafted by the Bengals with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has been on the road to recovery this offseason, making huge strides while rehabbing his knee.

Fantasy Football: Can the Cincinnati Bengals' offense support three 1,000-yard wide receivers in 2021? | Fantasy Football News, Rankings and Projections | PFF
The very first order of business is to identify the key players in this equation. Second-year quarterback Joe Burrow is recovering from a mid-season torn ACL, which causes some level of concern, but the early indication is that he should be fully recovered and prepared to play in all 17 games this season.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow explains why he deleted social media accounts
Burrow, who is normally pretty quiet on social media anyway despite the tidal waves he has made with each rare post, says he’s deleted all social media apps from his phone as he kicks into the final gear of his comeback from a torn ACL and MCL.

Cincinnati Bengals: Jessie Bates, Tee Higgins highlight Day 2 of camp
Day 2 of training camp is in the books for the Cincinnati Bengals! This gets us one day closer to the Week 1 matchup between the Bengals and Vikings but first, we should probably discuss what took place on Thursday at training camp.

Cincinnati Bengals should not cave to Joe Burrow's preseason wishes
Burrow has yet to play in a preseason game for the Bengals, as there were no preseason games last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s looking like that streak will continue through this summer and it’s the right move for the Bengals. They need to stick to their guns with holding Burrow out of preseason games.

Around the league

Aaron Rodgers, Packers agree to terms, language on reworked deal
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the contract's full details Thursday evening: in 2021, Rodgers will earn a $6.8 million roster bonus (from March), $14,464,706 signing bonus and $1.1M base salary, totaling $22,364,706. In 2022, he'll earn a $26,470,588 salary and $500K workout bonus for a grand total of $26,970,688. The signing and March roster bonuses both will be paid out over the 2021 season.

SEC unanimously votes to add Texas, Oklahoma to conference in seismic shift
The Southeastern Conference unanimously voted Thursday to add the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma, marking a seismic shift in the power structure of major college football that will almost certainly set off widespread conference realignment.

Brian Gutekunst responds to Aaron Rodgers' Packers remarks: 'I wouldn't say I have any regrets'
"At the end of the day, there are positive and negatives to everything. Having Randall Cobb in our building is a positive, there's no doubt about that. Not only as a player, but a person to our locker room, he's a positive, specifically to our quarterback, which is a very important piece of what we're trying to accomplish in 2021."

Training Camp Buzz: Zach Ertz 'not happy' at Eagles camp after offseason trade request
The 2021 regular season is just around the corner, and NFL Network has you covered with wall-to-wall training camp coverage each day starting at 10 a.m. ET. Follow along here for some of the best sights, sounds and moments from "Inside Training Camp Live" and around the NFL.