Latest news from NFL insider confirms Joe Burrow deal could happen before Week 1

The biggest storyline with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason has been the eventual contract extension of Joe Burrow. The former number one overall pick in the 2020 draft took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just his second year in the league and in year three, almost got them back to the big game.

This offseason marked the first year in which Burrow was eligible to be extended by the team that drafted him. The majority of people expected other quarterbacks to get paid first and three of them have been. When Justin Herbert signed his five-year extension last month, it felt like it was only a matter of time before Burrow got his new deal but we're still waiting on it.

Props to Burrow, his agent, and the Bengals for keeping this ordeal mostly under wraps but Ian Rapoport spoke about the discussions this morning and said that "There is confidence that Joe Burrow will get a new deal before kickoff."

Joe Burrow deal should get done before Sunday, per Ian Rapoport

Herbert's deal was for five years, $262.5 million so it's not crazy to think that Burrow gets more than that. The big thing with this extension will be the length of it. Does Burrow end up signing a five-year deal or a shorter deal so that he can cash in again in a few years? Or does he go the same route as Patrick Mahomes and sign a long deal so that the team can remain competitive?

Burrow spoke to the media on Wednesday and said he wanted to spend his entire career in Cincinnati and that's what they're looking to do with this deal. That hints that the deal might be longer but then what would the hold-up be?

Hopefully, a deal gets done before Sunday and it'd also be great if Tee Higgins could get signed before then as well. One step at a time though.