The Browns’ decision to sign quarterback Deshaun Watson to a five-year contract worth a fully guaranteed $230 million has generated a lot of reactions around the league, including Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s comment that “it’ll make negotiations harder with others” in the future.
Bisciotti’s team has company in the division when it comes to wondering what Watson’s deal will mean for their own bid to sign their star quarterback. Joe Burrow will be eligible for a contract extension next year and Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn said last week that “all contracts can have a ripple effect” when asked how Watson’s deal could impact talks on that front.
Blackburn said she had not yet delved into the details of Watson’s deal, but acknowledged the Bengals have not typically wanted to guarantee big chunks of money and that they may need to alter that approach when it comes to their quarterback.
“I don’t focus on the guaranteed as much because in theory, if the player gets the money at the end of the day, that’s what’s important to him,” Blackburn said, via Jay Morrison of TheAthletic.com. “So if the player is good enough and plays out the contract, he gets the money. The thing that has always given us some pause is if for some reason things go badly. It’s not fair for the team in the future if there’s a large amount of money going to someone else with the way system works today. So we’ve always tried to balance that out. But we work in a world where we realize other contracts have some effects, so we’ll just have to see where that all stands when it comes to be that time. At some point, we’re going to pay the cap amount, so we just have to find a way to make that work that’s in the best interest of the team.”
With a trip to the Super Bowl already under his belt, Burrow is well positioned to cash in once he’s able to sign a new contract and Watson’s deal will certainly be lingering on everyone’s mind once it comes time to have those conversations.
