Joe Burrow explains importance of timing with new Bengals contract

The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to pay Joe Burrow what he is worth before the season started!

Somehow, someway, the usually cheap Cincinnati Bengals put together enough precious pennies to pay franchise quarterback Joe Burrow top dollar on his new contract extension.

Burrow landed a staggering five-year deal worth $275 million last week. $219.01 million of that is fully guaranteed, as Burrow will net an average annual salary of $55 million, making him the highest-paid player in football. Getting Burrow under contract before his fourth NFL season is so massive and cannot be overstated. This means two important things. He has security and others will get paid now.

Burrow told the media that it was very important to him and his camp to get this done before Week 1.

"We wanted it done before (Week 1). That was important to me. The last couple weeks, we were in a good place. I had all the faith in the world."

The Bengals will open up at the in-state rival Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon in Week 1.

Joe Burrow is elated to have new Cincinnati Bengals deal signed and done

There are plenty of reasons why the Bengals are my pick to win Super Bowl 58 over in Las Vegas. A lot of it has to do with head coach Zac Taylor being able to retain his two star coordinators in Lou Anarumo and Brian Callahan for at least one more season. The roster is loaded and everybody seems to be pulling the same direction organizationally. But this all starts and ends with Burrow under center.

As long as he is healthy and has time to throw the football, he is one of the very best players in the game. He oozes charisma unlike any other signal-caller in the game. His teammates naturally gravitate towards him and his leadership traits. So for him to be paid at the top of the market before the most anticipated season in Bengals franchise history commences, that is a huge deal to be had.

Ultimately, the Bengals are going to have to catch a few lucky breaks along the way. Seeing the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs lose their season opener at home on Thursday night vs. an up-and-coming Detriot Lions team was certainly shocking. Then again, those are two of about 12 or so teams who have a realistic shot of playing for the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Anything less than 12 wins and a return trip to the AFC Championship will be disappointing for Cincinnati.