LSU Football: Money won’t change Joe Burrow’s work ethic

Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow signed his rookie deal on Friday.

Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow officially became a member of the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday.

Burrow, who was selected by the Bengals with the No. 1 overall pick in April, signed a four-year deal worth a fully-guaranteed $36.1 million.

That’s a lot of cash for a kid that most of the nation wasn’t familiar with at this time a year ago. That kind of deal is what college football players dream of eventually getting.

For a lot of players, it’s easy to relax a little after securing a big contract — especially when it’s fully guaranteed.

But if you think the money is going to change Burrow’s approach to football, you’re wrong. In fact, if anything it’ll make Burrow work harder, just so he can prove he’s worth the money the Bengals are paying him.

Joe Burrow is all about winning

“I’m going to have to go out and earn that paycheck every single day,” said Burrow on Friday after signing his deal (via 247Sports).

The former LSU standout added “I’m not going to get complacent. I haven’t done anything yet”.

Burrow’s attitude after signing a big contract is exactly why he’s worth what the Bengals will be paying him over the next four years.

Obviously Burrow wants to get paid. He wants to maximize his earnings.

But more than anything, Burrow just wants to play football and win games. He wants to make the players around him better. Burrow wants to be a leader.

At the end of the day, Burrow plays football because he’s a competitor. And no amount of money is going to change that.

There’s nothing more dangerous than a football player who isn’t motivated by money. Those are the players that end up becoming legends.