Emmanuel Acho urges Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts to demand fully guaranteed deals like Lamar Jackson
It seems Lamar Jackson is not the only person who deserves a fully guaranteed contract.
As the disgruntled Baltimore Raven tries to resolve his future, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts are close to securing theirs. Both players are entering the final year of their rookie deals but are widely expected to be extended in the coming days.
Recently, it was reported that the Cincinnati Bengals and their quarterback had reached a vow of silence regarding a contract extension. But speaking on the Fox Sports 1 program Speak, Emmanuel Acho implored both Burrow and Hurts, among others, to seek fully-guaranteed deals:
"I think Joe Burrow’s vow of silence is the worst thing he could do contractually from a macro perspective. Here is what that 2020 class should do. They should do something called going, Favored Nations. Favored nations is when a group of people come together and they all agree that they want the same thing."
He continued:
"One individual football player Lamar Jackson. Joe burrow, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert. They will not be stronger than the owners but all of those players can collectively be stronger than the owners."
He added:
"Joe burrow should not vow of silence with the Cincinnati Bengals instead, he should call up Lamar, call up hurts call up Herbert and they should collectively say we will not play the season unless we all get fully guaranteed deals."
How have Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts fared since they were drafted?
Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts are the easily most accomplished quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Burrow, who entered the draft as a college champion, was selected first overall. He sustained a knee injury that ended his rookie season, but he broke out the following year, winning Comeback Player of the Year as he led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years, where they came up just short against the Los Angeles Rams.
Hurts, who was chosen 53rd overall, initially rode the bench behind Carson Wentz and Jason Sudfeld, but was promoted to starter when Nick Sirianni took over in 2021. He broke out in 2022, leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl, where he set game records for most QB rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, also tying for the most points by a single player.
Other notable QBs drafted the same year are the Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa, the Chargers' Justin Herbert, and the Ravens' Tyler Huntley, all of whom played in the postseason alongside Burrow and Hurts.