Joe Burrow could wait to see what Justin Herbert gets before signing an extension with the Bengals

There seems to be little concern for Joe Burrow’s long-term future with the Cincinnati Bengals. As the negotiations continue, there has been no concern publicly expressed by either side. It will get taken care of.

As for when it will get taken care of, that still remains to be seen.

Burrow hasn’t said much publicly but has been on record saying that he knows what he wants in a new contract. One thing that is important to him is being able to keep star players like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Cincinnati with him.

Many expect Burrow to sign his extension before the start of the regular season, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was recently on The Rich Eisen Show and said Burrow could wait until Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert signs his new deal.

“Talking to other teams, I think Burrow could wait on [Justin] Herbert in L.A. Like, if Herbert can get a deal done first, Burrow can just say, ‘ok, well that’s the benchmark, give me a little bit more than that and we’ll all be happy,’” Fowler said.

The 2020 draft class has produced some of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, so waiting for the next guy to get paid before signing could be a good move from a business standpoint. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is the first of the class to sign an extension, but he was a second-round pick. The Eagles didn’t have the fifth-year option to buy them time to negotiate, as they wanted to lock Hurts in before his contract year.

Burrow could wait for Herbert to get his deal, set that as the starting point for negotiations, and work out a contract that pays him slightly more.

While the contract value is important, what could be more important to Cincinnati, in the long run, is the structure of the deal. If keeping players like Higgins, Chase, and Logan Wilson is in the Bengals’ plans, contract structure will be very important.

Regardless of how it happens, when it happens, and what the amount is, Burrow will be in Cincinnati for a long time. What his next contract means for others remains to be seen.