How did Joe Burrow lose $12m from his signing bonus? When Bengals star explained hilarious post-draft story

Joe Burrow has been a rich man for over three years and is set to make even more money once he signs the second contract of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. The quarterback has more than earned a huge new contract, quickly establishing himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

But Burrow's first contract came up with an interesting tweak. The total value of $36.4 million was guaranteed, and he received a $24.6 million signing bonus ... or did he?

When the quarterback appeared on the "Full Send Podcast," he explained how he lost half of his signing bonus in just one night:

"So, the first pick of my draft was $36.4 million four years and then fifth-year option for the first round, but it's all guaranteed for the draft picks. And then my signing bonus was $24.6 million or something like that. It's fun when you wake up and the first thing in the morning ... they take the taxes out and you call your financial guy like, 'Yo, where's this 12 million gone?' And then you realize your taxes."

Burrow had to live with his parents after leaving LSU

That happened right during the 2020 NFL draft, where he was the first pick by Cincinnati.

Fresh off leading the LSU Tigers to a national championship with one of the greatest offenses in the history of college football and winning the Heisman Trophy, Burrow was still a kid when the Bengals tied their future to him.

Now, it's impossible to ignore the world's context. The draft's first night happened on April 23, 2020. You might remember that, three years ago, the world was in a frenzy due to the recently-started COVID-19 pandemic.

So, the entire draft had to be changed, from the event per se to the whole draft process that happened before. The quarterback had nothing else to do besides stay at home, and he still didn't have any money to live on his own before signing his first contract. So, he just returned to his parents' house following the 2019 college football season.

College Football Playoff national championship: LSU's Joe Burrow

A $36 million contract after being the first pick in the NFL draft? That's good – but he still slept with Star Wars-themed stuff in his bedroom in 2020.