AFC Notes: Joe Burrow Influence On Ownership, Aaron Rodgers Timeline, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Bengals QB Joe Burrow said he hopes his comments about him wanting the team to sign WR Tee Higgins and WR Ja’Marr Chase to extensions didn’t hold a lot of weight with the team.

“I don’t know. I hope not a lot,” Burrow said, via PFT. “I think when you have two guys like that who, like I’ve said, you draft, they play great for you, you win a lot of games, they’re very productive — those are guys you want to reward. And I’m glad they’re here.”

Browns

Veteran Browns DL Shelby Harris was shocked by the team’s lack of primetime games this upcoming season.

“I’ll say it like this, you know, they can count us out all they want to,” Harris said on Honor the Land. “It’s up to us to go into the season and start whooping people’s asses. I get it. Last year wasn’t the season that we expected, and now this year, they’re going to say we didn’t get prime time because of all the quarterback controversy. Who cares? Screw ’em.”

Steelers

Aaron Rodgers watch continues in Pittsburgh, but one way or another, things might be nearing a resolution. Rodgers infamously tries to keep a tight circle, but journalist Ian O’Connor who interviewed 250 people for a book about the quarterback is as plugged in as any reporter can be when it comes to Rodgers. He thinks Rodgers will soon make things official with Pittsburgh. 

“I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told [the Steelers], ‘Listen, I’m gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all.’ So that’s where I think he is,” O’Connor said in a radio interview with 93.7 The Fan.

O’Connor also discussed the personal issues that Rodgers alluded to in his lone media appearance this offseason. 

“I’m not doing consistent day-to-day reporting on his life that I did when I talked to 250 people in doing that book, but I have occasionally reached out,” O’Connor said. “The sense I got was, I think I have a pretty good sense of what it is, and I don’t think it’s something that would prevent him from playing football…

“I’m not comfortable repeating it right now, but I don’t think it would prevent him from playing football with the Steelers.”