Friday is an important day for Ja’Marr Chase. The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver said it is a deadline to get a deal done on a new extension — something that he’s been seeking all offseason.
The good news is that Chase, speaking to reporters on Friday, said that the two sides are “in reach” of an agreement and that he would be open to playing this season even if an extension isn’t hammered out “if it gets to that point.”
“We’re off a little bit,” Chase said. “It’s in reach, but we’ll see by game day. … A few numbers need to be switched around and changed places, but I would say we are pretty close.”
As for Sunday’s Week 1 game against the New England Patriots, Chase called himself a “game-time decision,” while Bengals head coach Zac Taylor would only say “we’ll see” about the three-time Pro Bowler’s status. Chase added that if he did play, he likely would be limited in action due to his lack of snaps in training camp as he waits for a new deal.
It’s been an offseason of paying wide receivers as A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles (three years, $96 million), CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys (four years, $136 million), Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers (four years, $120 million), Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions (four years, $120 million), and Chase’s LSU teammate, Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings (four years, $140 million), among others, all cashed in on extensions.
(As for talk that Chase wants one penny more than what Jefferson received, the Bengals wideout said, “If I want to beat Justin, I want to beat the s*** out of Justin. Not by a penny, brother.”)
Chase still has two years remaining on his rookie deal as he had his fifth-year option picked up, which will see him earn $9.8 million this season and $21.8 million in 2025.
“It’s kind of tough,” Chase said about the length of negotiations. “I mean, we’ve been doing this for the past six months, seven months going back and forth. It’s been a long process, you know. So, I mean, I’m pretty sure they [the Bengals] know what I want.”
Chase has compiled 3,717 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons. In 2023, he caught a career-high 100 balls, tying for second most in a season in Bengals history. He is also one of only eight players in NFL history who have reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons.
Chase said that it’s been a “pretty aggravating” process but he’s tried to keep his feelings out of the situation and not bring them inside the locker room.
“I’ll say the whole process has been stressful, but overall, I mean, it’s a learning process for me and seeing how to go about the situation,” Chase said. “Just keep my feelings uninvolved in it, that’s all.”
If the Bengals didn’t have enough worries about their wide receiver situation for Week 1 with Chase’s status up in the air, Tee Higgins tweaked his hamstring on Thursday and is listed as doubtful for the game against New England.