Zac Taylor on Joe Burrow’s second contract: I think that starts from within now

Now that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow he has completed the third season, he has the right to extend the contract.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Burrow has certainly lived up to the high expectations that come with being picked first. He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season and Cincinnati was part of the NFL Final Four in 2022.

The Bengals will surely pick up his fifth-year option in the spring if they don’t sign him to a big contract first. Regardless, it stands to reason that Burrow will receive some financial security before the start of the 2023 regular season.

“Yes, I think so that now starts from within“, coach Zac Taylor said at Monday’s press conference when asked about Burrow being eligible for a second contract. “And again, we just finished with the team today. And as we go along, you’re going to have a chance to start talking about Joe and all the other players that are up.” .

Taylor was asked how he would quantify Burrow’s value to the franchise.

“Hopefully, I don’t have to put that on paper, that’s what it is,” Taylor said. “It’s just the business we’re in right now. He is everything we want to be. He is a worker. He cares about his teammates. He cares where he’s from – Ohio. This fanbase, I think, represents us in the right way.

“And so we take a lot of pride in having Joe Burrow as our quarterback.”

In 2022, Burrow completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 4,475 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 16 games. The Bengals are 24-17-1 in games started by Burrow since entering the league in 2020.