Over their history, the Cincinnati Bengals have been renowned as one of the most frugal professional sports franchises in existence. When this team was called upon to give their best players contract extensions, the front office balked at the idea of giving out guaranteed money. Given the significant need to give their best players big-time extensions, this is understandably a monstrous nightmare for the Brown family.
Cincinnati Bengals Must Double Take at Star Player’s Contract Demands
On Wednesday afternoon, that nightmare officially became much worse when star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s contract demands were leaked to the public. While most analysts expected him to ask for a five-year contract worth around $180 million (approximately $36 million per year), Chase blew the lid off that expectation. While that number would exceed Vikings star Justin Jefferson‘s recent contract ($35 million per year) and make Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, that number isn’t even close for the LSU product.
Chase has baffled the experts when it was announced that he is demanding a four-year contract worth a mind-blowing $160 million. Out of that $160 million, $120 million would be guaranteed. That is a staggering $40 million per year and would equal the contract of several starting quarterbacks in the NFL including Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, and Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
While there is no argument that Chase is amongst the best wide receivers in the NFL, that contract is simply far more than the front office anticipated. That contract would give Chase claim to just shy of 20% of the team’s total salary cap per season and, with the addition of Burrow’s outrageous $55 million per year contract, a total percentage of almost 45% for the two former LSU teammates.
On top of his contract disputes, Chase has been sitting out so far this preseason and sources speculate that he is unwilling to play this season until he receives his new contract. To add to the complete financial mess that this team has architected in Cincinnati, he would be the second receiver to come to a standoff with the front office after teammate Tee Higgins demanded a trade several times during the offseason. While Chase is certainly a spectacular player, there are going to be some interesting questions up ahead for this organization.
There have been some ideas theorized that the best way forward for this organization would be to deal Chase for draft picks and give Higgins the extension he wants. In this scenario, the team would save approximately $16 million per season based on the leaked salary desires of the two players. Higgins would sign a deal for $24 million, become the de facto number one option in Cincinnati and the team would have a boatload of draft capital to reload an aging roster. While this may not seem ideal, it certainly does the best job to extend the Super Bowl window and keep this team competitive down the line.
Follow me on Twitter at @Super_Squatch76. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NFL news, click here! If there is a topic you’d like me to cover or a question you’d like to ask, feel free to contact me at my email timothy.mcbride76@gmail.com.
