What does Justin Herbert’s extension mean for the Bengals and QB Joe Burrow?

Tuesday afternoon’s big NFL headline was that the Los Angeles Chargers had inked quarterback Justin Herbert to a five-year, $262.5 million extension. This deal made him the highest-paid player in the NFL and keeps him under contract through the 2029 season. An even more impressive stat is that over $215 million is guaranteed.

Herbert’s extension comes on the heels of Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, both setting their respective record-setting deals this offseason. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow is due his own extension, and will likely garner top-end money. Cincinnati likely knows that Burrow helped himself by waiting to see what happened with Herbert, as the expectation is that Burrow’s deal will top the Chargers’ signal caller.

Herbert has been a solid quarterback in his three years in the league. He has played in 49 regular season games and has 14,089 yards with 94 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. Unfortunately, Los Angeles has gone 7-9, 9-8 and 10-7 since selecting Herbert sixth overall in 2020, losing their opening-round playoff game last year. Burrow has played in 42 games with 11,774 yards, 82 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. His team finished 4-11-1, 10-7 with a Super Bowl loss and 12-4 with a loss in the AFC Championship game last season.

The stats between the two quarterbacks are similar, but the team success for Cincinnati has been markedly better. That could be due to team makeup and the fact that the Bengals don’t have to play Patrick Mahomes twice a season. Still, Burrow has helped to turn Cincinnati’s football outlook around. The team knows how valuable he is, and Herbert’s deal should give them an idea of what it is going to take to sign Burrow long-term. Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million deal with $179 guaranteed, while Jackson’s deal was five-year, $260 million with $175 guaranteed. With Herbert’s five-year, $262.5 million deal with over $215 million guaranteed, you have to assume that Burrow comes in around $265 million over five-years.