Joe Burrow plans to be with Bengals for his entire career

No. 9 wants to stay in stripes.

Going back to the Super Bowl and winning it is all Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow cares about right now. But after the postseason is over, the time for the Bengals to extend Burrow’s contract will be upon them.

And Burrow’s counting on it.

“My plan is to be here my whole career, and hopefully Zac [Taylor] is here my whole career,” Burrow said in an interview with Maria Taylor of NBC Sports. “I have a lot of confidence in the front office doing their jobs in the offseason.”

There’s no doubt the No. 1 priority for the Bengals’ front office will be to conjure up a contract extension that satisfies Burrow while keeping him with the team for the long run.

Burrow’s deal is expected to involve amounts of guaranteed money the Bengals normally wouldn’t dream of including, but that’s the reality for retaining an elite quarterback in today’s NFL.

It’s also extremely unlikely for quarterbacks of Burrow’s caliber to leave or be traded instead of extended. When you have the guy at that position, you simply do whatever it takes to retain him. The only exception appears to be Lamar Jackson, and the former MVP’s playing style and durability questions are what’s preventing a deal from being reached.

Those concerns don’t exist when talking about Burrow, who has helped secure AFC North championships in the two full seasons he’s been healthy for.

Burrow and the Bengals want their partnership to continue for as long as possible, and it’s only a matter of time before that commitment is finalized.