AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals executive Duke Tobin said they are working on QB Joe Burrow‘s potential contract extension. 

“It’s not done yet,” Tobin said, via ProFootballTalk. “It’s a good problem to have. I have been pretty vocal about what Joe means to us and my job is to facilitate his success as best I can by putting pieces around him. And his contract will get done when it gets done. But it’s a good problem to have. He’s a vital part of what we’re doing.”

Tobin said Burrow is a “championship-caliber quarterback” and has already proven to be highly successful. 

“He’s proven that he can get us there,” Tobin said. “He’s proven that he’s a championship-caliber quarterback. But it’s not a one-person game and we have to be ready to put the pieces around him that can facilitate his success.”

• 8News Now writes Bengals CB Chris Lammons, along with Saints RB Alvin Kamara and two others, appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom on Thursday and plead not guilty to battery charges stemming from a February 2022 incident outside of a nightclub. A jury trial is now set for July 31.
• Utah CB Clark Phillips and Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes had formal Combine interviews with the Bengals. (Mohammad Ahmad)
• Florida DT Gervon Dexter and Clemson DT Bryan Bresee had formal Combine interviews with the Bengals. (Malik Wright)
• Georgia OLB Nolan Smith also had a formal meeting with Cincinnati. (Wright)

Browns

• Florida State S Jammie Robinson said he had a formal meeting with the Browns on Thursday at the Combine, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. 
• Browns HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed he will be calling the plays once again in 2023. (Cabot)
• After reworking his deal by $1.7 million and replacing the final year with a void year, Browns WR Jakeem Grant is scheduled to make a base salary of $1.08 million, up to $382,500 in per-game roster bonuses and a $50,000 workout bonus. None of it is guaranteed, though an additional $1.25 million is available via incentives. (Over The Cap)

Ravens

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said it’s a different dynamic when dealing directly with a player in contract negotiation. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is currently representing himself in contract negotiations.

“Well you have a lot of regard for the player, first and foremost,” DeCosta said, via PFT. “I think when you deal with an agent, sometimes you’re able to speak very freely, position yourself a certain way. You have different arguments that you can use that maybe you wouldn’t say to a player. So, I think that’s part of it.”

DeCosta added that the team is optimistic that they’ll be able to come to an agreement with Jackson.

“There’s a lot of respect, tremendous respect, because I’m with a player like Lamar, a player like Roquan Smith — who also represented himself — every day,” DeCosta said. “You see the commitment, you understand where they’re coming from. so, it’s definitely a different dynamic. It can be challenging but it’s doable, as we’ve proven. And we continue to be optimistic about it.”

• Alabama DB Brian Branch said he’s had formal meetings with 25 teams at the NFL Combine, including the Ravens: “They like Alabama guys,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
• Florida G O’Cyrus Torrence had a formal Combine interview with the Ravens. (Justin Melo)
• Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda had a formal Combine interview with the Ravens, among other teams. (Ryan Fowler)

Steelers

Steelers GM Omar Khan told reporters on Tuesday that they’ve enjoyed having QB Mitch Trubisky and would like him to remain in Pittsburgh for “a long time.”

“Mitch has been great,” Khan said, via ESPN.com. “It’s been great to have him around, and I would look forward to having him around here for a long time. Not only this year but for a long time.”

“I think any young quarterback will tell you having that veteran presence around him is tremendous, especially if you have a guy like Mitch that handles things so well,” Khan added.

• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo mentions the Steelers and HC Mike Tomlin met with Arkansas LB Drew Sanders at the combine.
• Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.,  who is the son of former Steelers’ All-Pro LB Joey Porter, said it’d mean a lot to his family to be drafted by Pittsburgh: “I think it would mean a lot to my family. Been in the Pittsburgh area a while, staying home would mean a lot,” said Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
• Porter had a formal Combine interview with Pittsburgh. So far, SteelersNow.com’s Nick Farabaugh has a running list of formal interviews, including Florida DT Gervon Dexter, Alabama DT Byron Young, Clemson DT Bryan Bresee, Wisconsin DT Keeanu Benton, Kansas OLB Lonnie Phelps, Pittsburgh OLB Habakkuk Baldonado, Kansas State OLB Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Iowa OLB Lukas Van Ness, Clemson OLB Myles Murphy, Georgia OLB Nolan Smith, Oregon LB Noah Sewell, Alabama LB Henry To’oTo’o, Cincinnati LB Ivan Pace Jr. and Wisconsin LB Nick Herbig. 
• Other formal Combine interviews for the Steelers include Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes, Utah CB Clark Phillips and Texas A&M CB Jaylon Jones. (Farabaugh)
• Penn State’s S Ji’Ayir Brown said he met with the Steelers at the NFL Combine. (Fittipaldo)