Over the past several weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals have been in one of the wildest contract standoffs that you can see in sports. Several days this past week, superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase elected to holdout over contract negotiations as the team appears unwilling to match his demand of a 40 million dollar average annual value. On top of that, Chase has mixed it up by practicing on other days in what has come across as a bizarrely mixed message to fans. The big question everyone is wondering: Will Chase play in week one against the New England Patriots?
Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Weighs in on Chase Debate
Well, to put that story short, Chase is officially expected to play during the first game of the regular season according to a story by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. Rapoport took to twitter on Thursday afternoon to announce that he had spoken with Cincinnati’s star quarterback Joe Burrow and that the former LSU superstar is convinced that his longtime teammate will settle his dispute by Sunday.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: #Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase will be ready to go Sunday, per QB Joe Burrow. But will he have a new contract? pic.twitter.com/ghtMUy8gmy
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 5, 2024
Rapoport also reported that Cincinnati had made a ‘significant offer’ to Chase for a contract extension but there was no confirmation as of this evening. Based on expectations on Chase’s end, it is likely that Cincinnati offered him a four year contract worth $142 million which equates to 35.5 million per year. It was reportedly last week that Chase wanted to blow the previous record of $35.5 million per year out of the water with a contract that earned $40 million per year. That contract would be ludicrous as it would equate Chase to a mid-level starting quarterback in the NFL.
It is difficult to understand exactly what the debate is over because it is almost guaranteed that the contract ends up being a four-year deal for $144 million (averaging $36 million per year). That would follow the typical convention that has been established over the past few seasons for staggering contract record increases. $40 million per year would increase the record by over 10% and would be completely unprecedented at the NFL level.
It should be great news for the organization that Chase is likely to play this year: Burrow is a spectacular quarterback but his level of play takes a leap when his collegiate teammate is with him. If Chase is available against a struggling Patriots defense, look for him to have a monstrous start to the season and finally get this team going fast right out of the gate.
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