Positive vibes on Joe Burrow deal happening before Bengals vs. Browns (UPDATE)

UPDATE 3

The deal is done.

Who Dey!

UPDATE 2

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, “There is confidence that Joe Burrow will get a new deal before kickoff” on Sunday when the Bengals open their 2023 season vs. the Browns.

Rapoport added, “Burrow is going to be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL when that happens.” So expect his deal to pay him over $50 million annually. The question is how many years will be on said contract.

Check out the full segment below.

Time for the Bengals and Burrow’s agent to get this one across the finish line.

UPDATE

And there’s this from Mike Petraglia.

While it’s getting close to Sunday, the expectation should remain that Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals hammer out a contract extension before Game 1 vs. the Cleveland Browns.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, one of the top NFL reporters in the game, there’s optimism that a deal between Burrow and the Bengals will get done in the coming days.

Both Burrow and the Bengals have kept major information from leaking, but based on my discussions, there’s optimism in the building and in the locker room that a deal could get done over the next few days.

Adding to this, Russini does not believe that, in the event a deal doesn’t get done, Burrow would sit out Sunday for precautionary measures while working his way back from a significant calf injury.

But what if Burrow’s new extension hasn’t been completed and signed before Sunday? Will Burrow even step foot on the field in Cleveland? One league source texted me: “Joe is a competitor. He’s not missing a game against the Browns. Not worried about the contract”

This is certainly the kind of update you like to hear since we’re now just five days from the Bengals opening their season in Cleveland, a place they haven’t won since 2017 when the Browns went 0-16.

Of course, no one on the Bengals side thinks Burrow would sit out if a deal doesn’t get done. It’s reasonable to wonder if he’d want to take the safe approach and not risk an injury with no extension in place, but that’s not in Burrow’s DNA. He’s playing Sunday, regardless of whether a deal is done or not.

Hopefully, Russini’s report is accurate, and a deal will be done before Sunday.