Joe Burrow is officially the most popular mammal in Cincinnati.
The Bengals quarterback knocked off Fiona the hippo after her five-year run atop the CityBeat readers' "Best Cincinnatian" rankings.
Burrow's popularity is soaring as he enters an offseason in which he's in line for a massive pay raise. The former No. 1 overall pick is set to earn $5.545 million in guaranteed salary in 2023 with an $11.515 cap hit. It's laughably low compared to his value. When the Bengals officially exercise his fifth-year option for 2024, they'll have additional time to get a new deal done if needed before the franchise tag comes into play.
Most new QB contracts don't come down until later in the summer before training camps commence.
With Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts all in line for new deals -- not to mention the Lamar Jackson situation -- it will be interesting to see which QB inks a massive extension first and which is comfortable waiting to see what benchmark the others will set.
Here is hoping that Burrow's agents use his standing as "Best Cincinnatian" at some point during their negotiations. Hey, knocking off a five-time champ like Fiona the hippo has to have the same cachet as beating Patrick Mahomes in the AFC title game, no?
