Burrows Future Contract Already a Problem?

by Flame5135 | 2 years ago | 0 Comments

After a disappointing end to an electrifying season, the Cincinnati Bengals are expected to remain in the conversation, knocking at the door once again.

Which door? 

The door to the Bank. 

It goes without saying, a franchise quarterback is a necessity in the NFL. Without one, there is no franchise. Joe Burrow has captured the very heart of Cincinnati sports. There is no question that keeping him at home is the number one priority for the front office of Cincinnati. He's still on his rookie contract, but even the thought of his future contract has fans and players alike, worried. 
 

The only question that will be surrounding #9's contract is the front office asking him, "How much should we make the check out for?" 

Burrow's contract is not the only big contract facing the front office of the Bengals. Tee Higins', the teams #2 WR, contract also looms in the distance. The year after that? Jamarr Chase. 

We reached out to coach Zack Taylor for comments,

"The problem with success is that it comes at a price. Other teams want the success without any of the risk. They'd rather you build them up and weaponize them, so that they can come in and throw money at them. But what they dont have? The locker room. The team culture. They don't have Joe [Burrow]. As long as we have him. As long as we can keep him. We can put a team on the field." 

While Taylor's comments on Burrow are true, not everyone feels the same. TE Hayden Hurst, MLB Germaine Pratt, and Backup HB Samaje Perine have not, and may not, re-sign with the team. The franchise tag is still on the table, but that does not solve everyone's problems.  Taylor states,

"When you play at this level, you're not worried about how much money you're making. You hire someone to worry about it for you. These guys are great. I'd love to have all of them back. But at the end of the day, we have to put that money elsewhere. The tag is still on the table. The price that the tag carries is the problem. There is no good way to handle this."

Our data shows that the cost of the franchise tag on any of these players would run roughly  13-17M for the year. If the Burrow contract wasn't the behemoth on the horizon that it is, it would be no question. Until then? We will just have to wait and seee. 

The Bengals are projected to remain relatively quiet this offseason, rolling into next season with an estmiated 54M in available cap space.