Report: Contract details emerge on former LSU star La'el Collins contract

The Cincinnati Bengals have signed former Dallas Cowboys right tackle La’el Collins to a new contract on Sunday. The former LSU star was cut this offseason in an attempt to help save cap space in Dallas, freeing the path for the Bengals to help protect quarterback Joe Burrow.

When the deal was announced, the Cincinnati Bengals revealed that La’el Collins agreed to a three-year contract but did not release financial numbers. However, a report from NBC Sports suggests that it is a “different sort of deal” which is “essentially worth $20 million over two years.”

According to Garafolo, Collins planned to leave Cincinnati for another free agent visit after the meeting, but the Bengals did not let him go. The deal marks the third offensive line shift the Bengals have made this offseason in an attempt to protect the future of their franchise.

After going undrafted in 2015, Collins signed with the Dallas Cowboys and played in 74 games over six seasons. The 6-foot-4, 318-pound lineman started 10 games in 2021 but the Cowboys opted to release him after not finding a trade partner willing to give up assets for the remainder of his deal.

ESPN Analyst on Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow has taken the NFL by storm, especially in the postseason. But Burrow has consistently been beaten up throughout his career. The Bengals have had issues on the offensive line for each of Burrow’s first two seasons. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said that Burrow could be on the Andrew Luck track if the Bengals can’t fix their issues on the offensive front.

“This is what I’d say coming out of the game if I was Cincinnati and Joe Burrow,” Orlovsky started. “I was incredibly impressed with him again yesterday. He right now is on the Andrew Luck track. That cautions me. You watch this kid get beat up game after game after game after game. This will not last in this league.”

Luck was the first overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Stanford. He came into the league as a very promising, young quarterback. The Colts went 11-5 in each of Luck’s first three NFL seasons, making the playoffs in each of those years. But in 2015, Luck’s injury concerns began to catch up with him.

In his NFL career, Luck dealt with a number of injuries. After 86 career regular season games and seven years in the league, Luck decided to retire from playing football. In the six seasons Luck played in, he was sacked 174 times.

Burrow was sacked 32 times in ten games as a rookie last season. He suffered a torn ACL in his 11th game, ending his season. Burrow battled back to play this season, and he has again taken a beating. This season, Burrow was sacked 51 times in 16 regular season games. In four playoff games, he was sacked an additional 19 times. That marks 102 sacks for Burrow in just two NFL seasons.