Super Bowl Week is very much about weird stories. But usually that's due to the perfectly understandable habit of non-football hangers-on trying to attach themselves to the festivities.
But this weird story about present Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow comes directly from ...
Former Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer.
“I think Joe’s gonna sit back after this game, win or lose, and be like, ‘Man, am I gonna re-sign with this team?'” Palmer said on the Brother From Another podcast this week.
OK, but ... why? Why would he think that? At all?
Burrow is in just the second season of his rookie contract, is just 25 year old, is just completing his first full healthy season as a quarterback poised for a Super Bowl title. ... that he would bring back to his home state of Ohio.
Opined Palmer: “Are they willing to do what it takes to continuously build to get back to the next Super Bowl next year? And the year after that and the year after that? How are they willing to structure salary cap-wise, to be able to afford (Burrow) but also … Ja’Marr Chase when he comes up, or Tee Higgins, or maybe even redo this offensive line that’s given up a league-leading 54 sacks this year?''
If Palmer's core point is that the Bengals have a reputation traditionally for front-office frugality, that cannot be argued. But Burrow’s rookie contract goes through 2023 with the team almost certain to either exercise its fifth-year option in 2024 on the No. 1 player selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, or, even more likely, the team working to negotiate a contract extension with its most important player long before that.
And then there is the franchise tag, and whatever other tools Cincy might use to keep Burrow - and/or to keep Burrow happy.
One senses that Palmer holds this belief about Burrow and the Bengals because his semi-prediction mirrors what he once did. Palmer played for the organization from 2004-10 and late in his career there threatened to retire as a way to force a trade. The former Pro Bowl QB finally got out of Cincinnati and was off to Oakland in 2011.
Does Palmer have some special insight into Burrow's thinking? Or is he just projecting his feelings onto the newcomer?
“Joe’s not thinking about this one Super Bowl,'' Palmer claimed. "Joe is thinking about getting seven.”
This also seems weird - and unwise. Burrow's Bengals play the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the Super Bowl ... and everyone involved would probably be wise to just focus on, you know, this one Super Bowl.
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