AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Kenny Pickett

Bengals

Bengals EVP Katie Blackburn said extending QB Joe Burrow and the team’s stadium lease are the two most pressing issues for the team at the moment.

“We’ve got Joe Burrow, and we’ve got the stadium lease,” Blackburn said, via the team’s website. “They’re both exciting opportunities. It’s that time that we are beginning to think about it.”

In addition to Burrow, Blackburn said the team really wants to get extensions lined up with LB Logan Wilson and WR Tee Higgins.

“They’re all great guys that we love having and want to have for a while, a long time on our team,” Blackburn said. “So it’s just a process that always plays out however it plays out. We’ll be looking at all of the options and alternatives and thinking about what we might be able to get done.”

Blackburn said the team will continue its approach by being deliberate with guaranteed money and will make sure the team’s assets are spread out evenly to players who are producing.

“It’s about how much money you pay the guys, we want to have the best team on the field every year, we’re going to pay the money pursuant to the salary cap,” Blackburn said. “And so it just seems like the better system for everyone is to make sure the right amount of money each year is going to the guys who are producing each year. So just from a long-term, big-picture perspective, that’s sort of been our take on guaranteed contracts. Big picture, overall importance. It’s something that’s there and we always have to just work around.”

Ravens

The Ravens will likely try to keep as much of a lid on the changes new OC Todd Monken will be implementing as soon as possible. But Ravens HC John Harbaugh offered a few hints on what their new-look offense could be like in 2023. 

“It’s 100 percent likely that it will be different,” Harbaugh said via the Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. “It’s always changing. This will be a bigger change because we’ve got a new offensive coordinator. We’ve got new coaches in place. … I think we’re going to be exciting, we’re going to be fun. We’re going to still run the ball, but we’re going to throw the ball. We’re going to be up-tempo probably even more than we’ve been. Maybe a little more no-huddle. We’re going to be living in a lot of different worlds with our offense, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Steelers

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is excited to see growth from starting QB Kenny Pickett as he prepares for his second season in the league.

“I’m excited about Kenny individually in terms of the growth that he’s capable of making and, and what he’s willing to do to realize that,” Tomlin told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I think I’m probably more excited about that because I’ve just been around him intimately now for 12 months. There were some anticipation things because of the close proximity that we’ve all talked about quite a bit, but the reality of having worked with him for 12 months, it’s just more evidence of what we should be excited about — his willingness to work, his professional approach, his maturity in processing. It’s exciting.”