CINCINNATI- Joe Burrow is expected to sign a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals for a four-year deal that has been set for over $36 M with a nearly $24 M signing bonus, according to NFL insider Field Yates.

The Heisman Trophy winner and No.1 pick overall in the 2020 NFL draft is all set to sign his rookie contract with the Bengals now that he is back in his home of Southeast Ohio. The next step in Joe's early days as an NFL player is his first paycheck.

The contract ready for Burrow's signature is set at $36,190,137 with a $23,8880,100 signing bonus, NFL insider Field Yates said.

The value for the contract that Joe Burrow will eventually sign with the Bengals has been set: the four-year deal (plus a fifth year option) will be worth $36,190,137 with a $23,880,100 signing bonus.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 27, 2020

Leading the LSU Tigers to victory during the 2019 season with 76%  complete passes for 5,671 yards with 60 touchdowns to six interceptions, some would say this is a small price for Cincinnati to pay.

Bengals head coach and offensive architect Zac Taylor cited several elements of Burrow's incredible season, explaining why he is ideal for his defense. 

"He's a proven winner. He throws with anticipation. He has a great football IQ. He can diagnose defenses as well as anyone we've studied. He can create off-schedule plays as well," Taylor said.

"He does a great job keeping his eyes up in the pocket and eluding defenders. They have great coaches and players at LSU, but there are some times where a defense gets you. He still had the ability to create and extend plays. Those are traits you can't pass up."

The Bengals have not won a playoff game since 1990, which is six years before Burrow was born, however, this fact is not weighing on the 23-year-old's mind.

"You don't mentally adjust for it at all. You don't sacrifice your standards for anything," Burrow said. "I think going into the season and thinking our goal is to win a playoff game this year — I don't think that's the case. I don't think that's the right way to go about it. I think you go in to the season, we're going to work really, really hard and focus on one play and one week at a time, and we're going to win a lot of football games that way."

"I think if you go in thinking, 'Oh this is the year we're going to the playoffs, this is the year we're going to win a playoff game,' it gets too daunting. It sounds corny, but you've just got to focus on every single step of the process," Burrow explained.