Burrow shows stripes with record extension
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow became the highest-paid player in the NFL, 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, a 2022 Pro Bowler and 2021 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year, an average of $55 million a year, puts him ahead of other top quarterbacks in the league who signed new deals in the offseason.
The market for quarterbacks was set for Burrow when Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert agreed to a five-year, $262.5 million extension in July. Herbert’s total value and $52.5 million average per season surpassed the $260 million, five-year extension ($52 million average) that Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson signed in April. Deshaun Watson agreed to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal with Cleveland in 2022.
Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is in the third year of a 10-year contract worth $450 million, the largest overall deal for a quarterback.
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.
Jones lashes out at Raiders again
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.
“Now I understand why players turn to social media,” Jones said in the post Wednesday that he later took down. “At first I frowned upon it. But it’s our only outlet. If I didn’t do this, it would’ve been kept under wraps.”
McDaniels was asked about Jones when he met with the media on Wednesday and called it a “private matter.”
“If there’s something to report on it, then we’ll do that,” McDaniels said. “But as of right now, no.”
McDaniels did say the situation was “day to day” and that Jones wasn’t in the facility. Jones’s status for the game at Denver was unclear.
“We’re dealing with it internally,” McDaniels said.
No charges for Saints TE Graham
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.”
Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney’s office, said 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 California in August, police in Newport Beach charged him with suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and resisting officers. The team released a statement saying Graham likely had a seizure.
Mixed news for Packers
The Green Bay Packers received mixed news about their injury situation at wide receiver as Romeo Doubs practiced on a limited basis while Christian Watson remained out.
Watson and Doubs, Green Bay’s top two returning wideouts, both are dealing with hamstring injuries as quarterback Jordan Love prepares to begin his first season as starting quarterback.
“He took a couple of reps within each team period and the routes on air,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said about Doubs. “And he looked good.”
The other receivers on Green Bay’s roster are 2022 seventh-round pick Samori Toure and rookies Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Malik Heath.
Flacco searching for employment
Joe Flacco isn’t ready to hang up his cleats. The 38-year-old free agent quarterback, who guided the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl title a decade ago, told ESPN: “Listen, I can still play. That’s me talking, obviously. I’m hoping that there’s the silver lining that I’m not anywhere right now and that I can be available to anybody.” Flacco played five games for the New York Jets last season, throwing for 1,051 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions . . . Minnesota Vikings 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. Metellus led the team in special teams tackles in 2020 and 2022. The Vikings also have 2022 first-round draft pick Lewis Cine, an Everett High graduate, as a backup safety.