Zac Taylor denies Joe Burrow’s absence in practice is contract related

Joe Burrow is the star the Cincinnati Bengals needed.

The 26-year-old was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, and he has looked every bit of the part. Burrow has amassed 11,774 passing yards throughout those three seasons, having gone down in Week 11 of his rookie with an ACL tear as well.

Burrow has stayed healthy for the most part over the last two seasons but did suffer a calf strain in training camp, which left him sidelined in all three preseason games. Now, all eyes are on when he will return and if a contract extension will have been signed when he does.

There’s no indication that Burrow will hold out for an extension, and the plan seems to be for him to start on the road in Cleveland for Week 1. Burrow’s absence in practice is likely related to the strain, especially considering it was a non-contact injury.

Zac Taylor reiterated Burrow's missing practice is not related to his contract extension, which has been the talk around the Queen City this offseason.

“In a virtual news conference, Taylor quickly and firmly denied that Burrow’s absence is related to the inability between his side and the Bengals to reach a contract extension. Burrow has not participated in practice since he suffered a strained right calf on the second day of preseason workouts,” ESPN’s Ben Baby wrote.

As the preseason winds down and the regular season starts to commence, all eyes will be on the two sides as they strive for a long-term deal to be in place.