The Cincinnati Bengals made the long-awaited move of making quarterback Joe Burrow the highest-paid player in NFL history on Thursday night… right in the middle of the Kansas City Chiefs game.
The Bengals and Chiefs have one of the hottest new rivalries in the NFL thanks to appearing in the last two AFC championship games. The team’s top players have spent the off-season chirping at each other, and they’re scheduled to play each other on New Year’s Eve in Kansas City.
But leaking the contract news during Thursday Night Football’s Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs contest did not sit well with John Middlekauff of The Volume.
"The Bengals did that sh*t on purpose"
—@JohnMiddlekauff isn't impressed by the timing of the Joe Burrow contract announcement pic.twitter.com/BV1qguv3Z8
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) September 8, 2023
“Could you be any more of a loser than Mike Brown?” Middlekauff said. “Opening Night? Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes is about to take the snap. And Adam Schefter gets the contract, and I don’t blame him for breaking the news. The Bengals did that [stuff] on purpose. Congrats to Joe Burrow got a historic amount of money. Well, I guess not quite Deshaun Watson (money), but to leak that out in the middle of the game. Honestly, what the [expletive] are we doing? If I’m the league and Rog (Roger Goodell) I’d be furious. Like, if I’m Joe you know, more of a low-key guy. So it’s actually probably nice that it kind of flies under the radar because everyone’s gonna be talking about the game. Why not give your guy some shine and do this in the middle of the day, I don’t know tomorrow?”
It’s impossible to say whether the Bengals intentionally leaked news of the massive contract extension during the game on purpose. But one thing is clear, it’s just another level of spice on one of the NFL’s hottest new rivalries.
