Bengals’ Burrow gets $275M deal
By The Associated Press
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow became the highest-paid player in the NFL on Thursday, agreeing to a five-year, $275 million contract extension, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The contract includes more than $219 million guaranteed, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it hadn’t been announced.
The deal, which will pay Burrow an average of $55 million a year, puts him ahead of other top quarterbacks in the league who signed new deals in the offseason.
Signing the 2022 Pro Bowler and 2021 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year to an extension was a goal of the team this summer, but the deal wasn’t finalized until three days before the Bengals’ season opener at Cleveland. Burrow strained a calf muscle early in training camp and was out of action until last week. He said Wednesday he’s on track to start against the Browns on Sunday.
SAINTS’ GRAHAM AVOIDS CHARGES >>
New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham learned that he won’t have to face charges stemming from his arrest in Southern California last month during what the club has described as a “medical episode.”
Graham declined to go into detail about exactly what happened leading up to his arrest, but was ready to discuss his eagerness to play his first regular-season football game in more than a year.
“I’m feeling great, just looking forward and excited to put (the arrest and related medical matter) behind me,” Graham said after practice on Thursday. “I’ll be fine in the long run. Just want to thank the organization and everybody that was with me through those couple of days.”
Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney’s office, said Thursday that no charges against Graham are being pursued at this time because there is “insufficient evidence to prove a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt.”
When the Saints were in Southern California in August for joint practices and a preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers, police in Newport Beach arrested Graham after responding to a call about a “suspicious male.” Police brought Graham to a hospital, charged him with suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and resisting officers, and then released Graham into the Saints’ care.
The team released a statement hours later saying Graham, whose hobby is flying airplanes, likely had a seizure.
JONES AGAIN POSTS ABOUT RAIDERS MANAGEMENT, THEN DELETES >>
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones once again took to social media to criticize team officials, posting and then deleting Wednesday night that the club sent someone from the city of Las Vegas’ crisis response team to his home.
Jones showed a picture on his Instagram account he said was the badge of the person at his door.
“Raiders sent her to my place said ... You need to come with us ‘You’re in danger,’” Jones wrote.
He also threatened to publicize unspecified information on Las Vegas coach Josh Mcdaniels if Jones doesn’t play Sunday when the Raiders open their season at the Denver Broncos.
This is the second time this week Jones took to Instagram to show his discontent. He also criticized Mcdaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler on Tuesday, saying he was locked out of the team facility. Jones also deleted that post.
VIKINGS SIGN METELLUS TO EXTENSION >>
Minnesota safety and special teams standout Josh Metellus agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension, further cementing the club’s deepest position. The deal for Metellus, who was a sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan in 2020, has a maximum value of $13 million with $6 million guaranteed, his agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed.