NFL Rumors: Jason Kelce's next job, Brock Purdy pay raise, Joe Burrow injury update

Bengals QB Joe Burrow throwing regular following wrist surgery

The Cincinnati Bengals' 2023 season did not go as they planned. Looking to avenge their loss in the AFC Championship Game the year prior, the Bengals instead missed the playoffs altogether with a 9-8 record. What made that sting even more is that every one of their division rivals clinched a playoff berth. Well, that can be attributed to the team losing star quarterback Joe Burrow to injury.

In Week 11, Burrow left Cincinnati's game against the Baltimore Ravens with a right wrist injury. It was later determined that Burrow suffered a torn ligament and would miss the rest of the season. With that, the Bengals playoff odds depleted, even with Jake Browning playing hero late in the season.

Burrow underwent surgery this past December, but how has he progressed recently? Apparently, pretty well, as Burrow is throwing regularly, according to Sports Illustrated's James Rapien.

This does line up with Burrow's estimated recovery timeline. Burrow told ESPN's Ben Baby that he expects to be cleared and ready for the Bengals' optional team activities (OTAs) in May. As for the surgery in question, the estimated recovery timeline was between four-to-six months.

Besides Burrow's wrist injury, he suffered a right calf strain early on in training camp. Burrow's play appeared to suffer early on in the season but then looked like his usual self when the season progressed.

Burrow threw for 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes.

Sure, the Bengals are dealing with wide receiver Tee Higgins' trade request, but they and the fanbase have to be encouraged by this latest update on the star signal caller.

49ers owner preparing for Brock Purdy contract extension

The San Francisco 49ers believe they have their quarterback of the future in Brock Purdy. One year after trading up massive draft capital to draft Trey Lance, the 49ers used the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft on Iowa State's Brock Purdy. Little would the football world know at the time that Purdy would be the team's starting quarterback over Lance.

Purdy is a polarizing player in the NFL. The 49ers, the fanbase, and others around the football world like him and believe he is a legitimate quarterback option. There are others who think that Purdy is benefitting from head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense and having the likes of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Chrisitan McCaffrey, and George Kittle to throw to. Regardless, the 49ers were winning games with Purdy, who played a part in the team making it to Super Bowl 58 this past season.

With two years of starting under his belt, the 49ers have to brace for the inevitable -- a contract extension.

49ers CEO Jed York spoke to reporters at the NFL's Annual League Meetings on Tuesday about Purdy's eventual payday. York didn't view that as a negative, given the price tag on quarterbacks as of late he says that it's "a good problem when your quarterback is one of the highest-paid guys on your team and in the league" (h/t Cam Inman of the Mercury News).

“It’s what the market is. Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before,” said York. “I don’t know how many players are making over $40 million (annually) as a quarterback right now.”

As of this writing, 13 quarterbacks are making $40 million or higher per year. Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals leads the way with $55 million per year. In second is Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, making $52.5 million per season. Here is the full list of quarterbacks making equal to or greater than $40 million per season.

Entering the 2024 season, Purdy is set to make $985,000 in base salary and account for a little over $1 million against the cap. So the 49ers have the luxury to continue to build a team around Purdy while he's still on his rookie deal. But, Purdy is due for a new contract by the end of the 2024 season before being eligible to hit free agency.

This past season, Purdy threw for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 69.4 percent of his passes. In San Francisco's three playoff games, including Super Bowl 58, Purdy threw for 774 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while completing 61.1 percent of his passes.

The 49ers will have the next two years to try and retain Purdy, and they know it won't come cheap, especially if the quarterback has another strong season in 2024.

ESPN targeting Jason Kelce for Monday Night Football pre-game show

The Philadelphia Eagles had an eventful offseason, highlighted by the signing of former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and bringing back safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. However, they will be without the centerpiece of their offensive line, Jason Kelce, who retired after this past season. With that, the Eagles have the unenviable task of trying to find Kelce's replacement.

Kelce had gained popularity outside of Philadelphia for his podcast New Heights alongside younger brother and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis. With the successful podcast, the buzz was that Kelce could find himself landing a media role following his retirement. It appears that one network is actively pursuing the former center.

According to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand ($), ESPN is "aggressively pursuing" Kelce for a spot on the Monday Night Football pregame show. This comes after Marchand reports that former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III's spot on the pregame show is "in jeopardy."

ESPN isn't the only network trying to land Kelce for a studio role, as Marchand notes that NBC, CBS, and Amazon Prime are all interested. Marchand notes that CBS has multiple openings on their NFL Today broadcast, as Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher, Nate Burelson, and Phil Simms are unsigned. As for NBC, Marchand says that it would provide convenience for Kelce, as the network studio is based in Stamford, Conn., which is close to Philadelphia.

Following this past season in which the Eagles were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round, reports indicated that Kelce was going to retire. Kelce shut down those reports, saying that he was still making up his mind. This month, Kelce held a press conference to announce he was officially hanging up his cleats for good.

Sure, Barkley may be trying to recruit Kelce to come out of retirement, but there could be a lot of money waiting for the center if he were to join ESPN or any of the other interested networks.