Franchise quarterbacks like Joe Burrow have a new unofficial title: Assistant GM

For the majority of Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor’s NFL coaching career, he has gone a specific process with the starting quarterback before every game. He asks the starting quarterback to rank, vote on or pick his favorite plays for specific situations. Taylor believes that if a quarterback sticks his neck out for a play, he’s more likely to go the extra mile to make sure it works out.

Early on in his coaching career, this process was considered “new school.” Now, it’s more par-for-the-course around the NFL. The next step in the evolution of this trend is on display every time that Joe Burrow steps up to the mic. During press conferences, in television hits from Super Bowl Radio Row and on several national podcasts that he appeared on during the offseason, Burrow has been direct with his message to the front office to take the next step and get the contract extensions done with the Bengals’ stars, especially Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Burrow is going public with a message that he has been expressing behind the scenes for years. The Bengals don’t see any problem with that. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin said at the NFL Combine, “He’s an important partner in what we’re doing. I value his input. He has earned that.”

Taylor said, “I’m going to give him every opportunity to speak his mind about the direction he sees with the team.”

Teams around the NFL who have star quarterbacks love to see their franchise players go the extra mile like Burrow has.

The elite quarterbacks in the NFL are taking on an added job title. They’re basically also acting as unofficial assistant general managers. And the bosses of those quarterbacks are good with that. “Shoot,” said Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane. “A lot of them would be better than me as GMs.”

Quarterbacks are being paid more than ever before and are receiving more guaranteed money than ever before. These top of the market contracts make quarterbacks partners in the organization. In a lot of cases, it gives them a direct line to the front office and ownership.

One of those quarterbacks is Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said, “Lamar is a stakeholder. He has earned the right to have that type of influence. A lot of guys haven’t earned that right, but Lamar has earned that right. It’s important. It’s necessary. I welcome his input. I get texts from him.” DeCosta is planning a trip in the near future to Florida to meet with Jackson about the plan for the Ravens’ offseason.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is far from an All-Pro. But he’s playing on a $100 million contract over three years. The Buccaneers showed a lot of faith in him when they offered him that contract, and Mayfield is a partner in Tampa Bay’s front office. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said, “When you have a leader like Baker, it’s easy to go to them and take their advice. He knows the locker room better than I do.”

Burrow is a true franchise quarterback, and he’s as empowered as any quarterback in the NFL is to be honest and vocal about the direction the Bengals are heading.

Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher points out how football really works. When all is said and done, the Bengals’ center snaps the ball into Burrow’s hands on every single play. The franchise goes as he goes. Pitcher said, “Joe is very intelligent. He’s well researched. He takes his job very seriously, and he has earned a position within the organization where his opinions and what he thinks we should do needs to be accounted for and valued. I think we’re doing that.”

Compared to the other star quarterbacks in the NFL, there’s something that sets Burrow’s approach apart. When he speaks with the media, he’ll talk about the salary cap, contract restructures and players who are priorities. He’s going public with the topics that usually stay behind closed doors.

The Bengals are in a different position from their peers. They have a top-tier quarterback, but they haven’t locked down extensions with any of their other stars. The Chiefs got deals done with Chris Jones and Travis Kelce. The Bills did the same with Ed Oliver, Khalil Shakir and their best offensive linemen. The Ravens have secured deals with Roquan Smith and Nnamdi Madubuike. The Eagles have paid everybody.

The Bengals are still trying to get across the finish line with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. There has been much less momentum with Trey Hendrickson, who has requested a trade.

All offseason, Burrow has been publicly making the case for paying his teammates.

Yahoo NFL analyst Nate Tice was a college quarterback at the University of Wisconsin who then went on to work in the NFL as a coach and a scout. He said that Burrow is a perfect example for how quarterbacks now have to be politicians.

Tice said, “When they say something tangible, that carries a lot of weight. A guy like Joe Burrow, those elite guys, they’re very measured with their words because they realize that. So when they do push, that matters a ton. A franchise quarterback is the most important person in the building. If the guy who’s the most important person in the building thinks something is important, maybe we should all think that’s important. It matters because of their status in the league.”

Quarterbacks have all of the skills that make up a good NFL executive. Quarterbacks are natural leaders who know the game at the highest level and understand how the pieces on the field fit together to operate at the highest level.

Beane, the Bills’ GM, said, “The mental state that you have to have and the aptitude to play quarterback and the “processing speed these guys have who are playing at the top of the game — whether it’s Josh (Allen), (Patrick) Mahomes, Burrow or all of those guys — you have to be really smart. You’re prepared. You’re doing a lot of the things that (translate) in anything in life — business, CFO, whatever the case may be.”

Beane said that star Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen would make a good general manager, but he doesn’t expect Allen to join his staff when the 2024 MVP is done playing football. Beane said, “Many of them could do it if they wanted to. But there are a lot of hours in this. And the money they make, I probably wouldn’t do it either.”

Burrow has publicly shared his vision for the Bengals’ 2025 roster, and Tobin said that he agrees with what his quarterback has already said. Tobin wants to keep the Bengals’ good players and pay them what they’re worth. “That’s what we’re going to do,” Tobin said, but it’s never quite that easy for contracts that are worth tens of millions of dollars.

Burrow obviously can’t control everything. Burrow can’t get the Bengals to go as far as paying Hendrickson $30 million a year. But if Hendrickson ends up returning to Cincinnati, Burrow can serve as a bridge between the front office and the star pass rusher. That’s where Burrow’s investment in the behind-the-scenes details in this scenario could pay off the most.

With Chase and Higgins, Burrow’s flag has been planted since the Bengals beat the Cowboys and the quarterback that he was confident that both deals would get done.

The Bengals’ ownership and front office still have to get multiple contracts done to get Burrow the players that he wants. Each side’s priorities are out there in the open.

The Bengals don’t see any problem with that.

“When it comes to big money front office decisions, not everyone has earned the right to get in those conversations,” Taylor said. “Any time a player wants to talk through this stuff with myself and Duke, those doors are always wide open. We talk with Joe all the time. He does a great job of understanding his value and that I’m going to give him the opportunity to speak.”