The Bengals and Chargers are ready to pay both Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. The problem is that each quarterback is believed to be waiting for the other to sign.
On the surface, Burrow should get a contract in a class above Herbert. But Herbert’s camp views him as the equal to Burrow. Throw in the fact that rival agents hope to one-up each other, and it has become a waiting game between the next two quarterbacks to be paid.
Burrow’s camp wants Herbert to go first, setting the benchmark to beat. Herbert’s camp wants Burrow to go first, giving Herbert a ceiling that he can try to match — or maybe even to exceed.
The teams benefit because the players aren’t agitating for deals, as they enter their fourth NFL seasons. By all rights, both should already have their contracts. And if they were ready to go, their deals likely would be done.
This is believed to be about the broader dance among who makes how much, with agent competition and marketing at the heart of the situation.
Until the deals are done, the players continue to carry the risk of a long-term injury. Unless the deals are done by Week One, Burrow will play for $5.545 million — and Herbert will play for $4.2 million. Remember last year, when Kyler Murray’s agent got the word out that Murray wouldn’t play for the similar slotted payment in the fourth year of his rookie deal? There has been not a peep along those lines as to Burrow or Herbert.
They both want their contracts. Their teams are willing to comply. But their camps are believed to be content to wait.
At some point, someone needs to blink. While training camp and the preseason (especially if the starters don’t play much if at all) present limited risk of injury, both players should have their long-term deals before the season starts.
For now, everyone involved seems to be playing the waiting game.
