Joe Burrow, an Ohio native, doesn't plan on leaving the Buckeye State anytime soon. Mike Brown, the owner of the Cincinnati Bengals, wants to ensure that's how the Pro Bowl quarterback's career plays out.
On the eve of his second postseason, Burrow opened up about his future in the NFL and specifically with the Bengals, who selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Led by Burrow, the Bengals are hoping to complete a successful defense of their AFC Championship this postseason that began with Sunday night's 24-17 Super Wild Card Weekend win against the Baltimore Ravens and will continue with a showdown against Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.
"My plan is to be here my whole career," " target="_blank"Burrow said during an interview with NBC Sports' Maria Taylor prior to the win against the Ravens. "Hopefully, Zac (Taylor) is here my whole career, and hopefully a lot of our guys are around for as long as my career as they can be.
"I have a lot of confidence in the front office doing their jobs in the offseason. We've drafted well. We've brought in great free agents. We've claimed guys off waivers that have really made an impact on our team. I think we have one of the best front offices in the league.
"Zac, in my opinion, is the best coach in the league. So that gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and say that."
Burrow's quote is surely music to the ears of Bengals fans, who have quickly made the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner the most popular figure in the Queen City. With Burrow under center, the Bengals have won 26 games over the past two seasons. That total includes three wins over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, whose two-year reign as AFC champions was ended by the Bengals in last year's conference title game.
Brown shared Burrow's sentiments in ensuring he's a lifetime Bengal, but he also noted the front office's ability to build a perennial Super Bowl contender hinges on the size and structure of his quarterback's next contract.
"He's going to have a long career," Brown told the team's radio broadcast before the win against Baltimore, per ESPN. "We certainly want it to be here. I think his window will extend over his whole career. But there is the fact that when you don't have to pay the quarterback some extraordinary amount, that leaves room to pay other players more and, therefore, you can keep more players that are good players."
While he still has a year remaining on his rookie contact, it is largely expected that Burrow will receive a lucrative contract extension this offseason. Burrow will certainly be compensated as one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, but it appears that he will do his part in making sure the Bengals can keep as much as their core together as possible. Burrow will likely mimic the Tom Brady approach to contacts, an approach that has helped Brady become the most successful player in league history.
Along with Burrow, the Bengals' intent is to keep their receiving corps in the fold for the foreseeable future. That includes second-year phenom Ja'Marr Chase and third-year veteran Tee Higgins.
Burrow recently made headlines by stating the Bengals' Super Bowl window is the length of his career. While he expects to compete for Lombardi Trophies on an annual basis, Burrow is looking to capitalize on the Bengals' current opportunity.
"In my opinion, we're a much better team than we were last year," Burrow
