Projecting Joe Burrow's Bengals Contract After Justin Herbert's $262.5M Chargers Deal

Justin Herbert became the NFL's highest-paid quarterback on Tuesday after agreeing to a reported five-year, $262.5 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Chargers, once again resetting the market for star signal-callers.

With Herbert the latest quarterback to ink a monstrous extension, the attention will now shift to Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2024 season.

Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, is considered by some to be a better overall quarterback than Herbert, so it's reasonable to believe he'll receive an extension worth $270-plus million.

Spotrac currently has the 26-year-old's calculated market value at six years and $322.6 million, though that number is not reflective of Herbert's extension. It lists the deals signed by Lamar Jackson (five years, $260 million), Jalen Hurts (five years, $255 million), Kyler Murray (five years, $230.5 million) and Deshaun Watson (five years, $230 million) as comparables.

Regardless, Burrow should become the league's highest-paid quarterback, especially given his play over the last two seasons.

The 26-year-old was named the Comeback Player of the Year during the 2021 season after returning from a torn ACL and leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl. He completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 16 games.

Burrow followed that up by leading Cincinnati to the AFC Championship Game last season. He completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in 16 games en route to earning his first Pro Bowl selection.

Burrow and the Bengals figure to be among the top Super Bowl contenders this coming season, and it's only a matter of time before he delivers a title to Cincinnati for the first time ever.

With the franchise playing some of its best football with Burrow under center, it's only a matter of time before the LSU product cashes in on what has already been a pretty successful career.