Joe Burrow becomes highest-paid player in NFL history

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks the sideline in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Joe Shiesty is about to start spelling his name with dollar signs.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Thursday that star quarterback Joe Burrow has reached agreement with the Cincinnati Bengals on a mammoth five year, $275 million contract extension. The deal includes $219.01 million in guaranteed money and officially makes Burrow the highest-paid player in NFL history.

The 26-year-old Burrow has done more than enough to earn his all-you-can-eat buffet of cash. He led the Bengals to a Super Bowl berth in the 2021 season (something they hadn’t achieved since 1988) and brought them to the AFC Championship Game last season (where they narrowly lost to the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs). Burrow also made the Pro Bowl team last season and led the NFL in completion percentage in 2021, an impressive rebound from his devastating knee injury in 2020.

It took many months for Burrow and Cincinnati to hammer out the monster deal. But it ultimately worked out pretty well for both sides, especially for Burrow, who has quickly dethroned this contemporary of his as the best-paid quarterback in the NFL.