If you wanted more fuel for the Cincinnati Bengals-Kansas City Chiefs rivalry, you got it on Thursday night.
Minutes into the Chiefs’ season opener against the Detroit Lions, news broke from multiple NFL insiders that the Bengals signed star quarterback Joe Burrow to a record-setting five-year extension worth $275 million.
As noted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the $275 million pact makes Burrow the highest-paid player in league history.
Up to you to decide if it the timing of the announcement is a coincidence or not. But many fans on Twitter simply believe that Burrow and the Bengals waited until opening night to purposely troll their heated rivals.
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The Chiefs and Bengals have played in each of the last two AFC Championship Games at Arrowhead Stadium. Cincy won the first won in overtime two seasons, only to fall to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56.
But Mahomes and the Chiefs got revenge by defeating the Bengals in another last-second thriller in the 2022 AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs went on to win their second Super Bowl in four years, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
Burrow won his first three meetings against Mahomes, with victories also coming late in the 2021 and 2022 regular seasons. The two teams will meet again at Arrowhead in Week 17 on New Year’s Eve in a game that promises to carry significant playoff implications.
