Bengals eyeing cap as Burrow raise looms

The Bengals are already structuring finances so they can pay Joe Burrow enough money to stay in Cincinnati when the star quarterback becomes eligible to negotiate a new contract after this season, team owner Mike Brown said.

Burrow likely will command a long-term deal paying him somewhere in the $40 million to $50 million range per season, based on the deals of other top NFL quarterbacks.

The latest to cash in was Kyler Murray, who last week signed a fiveyear, $230 million deal with the Cardinals, working out to about $46.1 million per season.

Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins, drafted in same 2020 class as Burrow, also will be eligible to negotiate after this season, reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase the year after that. Both also will require big contracts.

“Right now our obvious, most important issue will be our quarterback,” the 86-yearold Brown said. “It’s not quite ready or ripe yet, but it’s right down the track and we see the train coming.”

STREAMING SERVICE » The NFL is making its move into offering its own media streaming platform. The league announced that “NFL+” launched July 25. Owners were briefed about it during the league meetings in May, while Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media and business officer, confirmed in a column for “Sports Illustrated” last week that it would be starting this season.

CHICAGO MAYOR PRESENTS OPTIONS FOR STADIUM » Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot presented three options for renovating Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears, but the team said it’s not interested. Lightfoot proposed fully enclosing the stadium by rebuilding both end zones with columns that can support a dome; rebuilding both end zones with columns to make the stadium dome-ready; or modifying Soldier Field to be a multi-purpose stadium better suited for soccer.

MLB

UNION REJECTS PROPOSAL » Major League Baseball’s goal of an international amateur draft was thwarted again when the players’ association rejected management’s final offer on July 24 and retained direct draft-pick compensation for free agents. The quirky tie between the two provisions was established in the March 10 agreement that ended the 99-day lockout and preserved a 162-game season. The sides gave themselves until July 25 to reach an agreement on an international draft, which MLB has sought since 2002, and specified the draft-pick provision would be dropped in the event of a deal.

RAYS DUO SIDELINED » Tampa Bay Rays standouts Kevin Kiermaier and Mike Zunino are out for the season because of injuries, another significant blow for the defending AL East champions.

College basketball

SOUTH CAROLINA SIGNS FIVE-STAR RECRUIT » First-year South Carolina coach Lamont Paris has signed five-star recruit and one-time North Carolina commitment, Gregory “GG” Jackson.