The relationship between the Cincinnati Bengals and mega-star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase seems to be rapidly devolving in real-time.
Chase, despite having two years remaining on his current contract, did not practice with the Bengals last week and did not fly with the team to Chicago for Cincinnati’s preseason game against the Bears.
The decision to hold in has turned heads around the league, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter labeling Chase’s decision ‘mysterious.’
“This is the one to me that remains the most mysterious. Because unlike Brandon Aiyuk and CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase has two years left on his contract, not one,” Schefter said, via USA TODAY Sports. “We’ve already heard Bengals president Mike Brown come out and say he would prefer to wait to do this deal. Now I think Cincinnati will still push to get this deal done. But from my understanding there hasn’t been a whole lot of progress.”
Chase is set to count $9.8 million against the cap this season, one year removed from catching a career-high 100 passes for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns, despite wildly inconsistent quarterback play.
“It’s not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate,” Bengals President Mike Brown recently told reporters. “The offseason is a better time for that and we’re going to try to keep focused on the football part. I’m not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you that the die has probably been cast.”
Even though Chase is one of the more explosive talents at the receiver position across the league, and vital weapons in quarterback Joe Burrow’s arsenal ahead of a season the Bengals hope ends in the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy, not everyone is convinced that a new deal is in the offing.
Could Cincinnati Bengals Relationship With Ja’Marr Chase Combust?
Former NFL agent, and current CBS Sports analyst, Joel Corry believes this could potentially get ugly between Chase and the Bengals.
“There is potential for Chase’s situation to become explosive,” Corry writes for CBS. “Bengals president Mike Brown made conflicting statements about a month ago at the team’s annual media luncheon ahead of the opening of training camp. He suggested that a deal is unlikely this year while also recognizing Chase’s importance to the franchise.”
Corry suggests Chase might be looking to former college teammate, Justin Jefferson’s megadeal with the Minnesota Vikings as a benchmark or his negotiations.
Jefferson’s deal is worth a record $140 million over four years, $110 million of which is guaranteed.
As Corry points out, the fact that fellow wide receivers from Chase’s draft class, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle both signed extensions with the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins this offseason could be weighing heavily on Chase’s mind.
However, there is no easy solution to this conflict, at the moment.
“Even if the Bengals are able to squash Chase’s hold-in,” Corry points out. “By threatening him with discipline, there could be ramifications that impact the success of the season. Without a new deal, Chase might attempt to protect to himself by erring on the side of caution with any injury no matter how minor. For example, a soft tissue injury or ankle sprain would be given sufficient time to heal rather than rushing to return to action at the earliest possible instance.
“There’s a difference between being healthy and healthy enough to play. There were allegations that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s inability to return from a late-season left knee injury in 2022 were related to his contract.”
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