The Cincinnati Bengals got out of their comfort zone in a massive way when agreeing to sign free agent offensive tackle Orlando Brown.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals dished more than $31 million up front in signing bonus cash on a four-year, $64 million deal.
The Bengals never dish out this sort of cash. Put it this way — the Bengals gave out $21 million in guaranteed cash last free agency…to all three offensive line signings combined.
Not only did the Bengals back up the proverbial Brinks truck, it’s a front-loaded deal — meaning it won’t have a big impact on Joe Burrow’s upcoming extension, nor extensions for the likes of Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
This would explain why the Bengals have been quiet — they were busy breaking out of their old ways to protect their Super Bowl quarterback.
More context, from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
In Orlando Brown's new, 4-year deal with the #Bengals, he gets 67.87% of the $64.092M fully guaranteed, with $42.3M through year 2 and $49.9M through 3. By that point, he'll be ready for the next deal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2023
