More than two weeks into training camp, Ja’Marr Chase has not practiced. The star Bengals wide receiver’s hold-in also included a missed practice this week, via ESPN.com’s Ben Baby. Two years, however, remain on Chase’s rookie deal. The Bengals have time here, as much as Chase wants to force the issue.
Although the Bengals could have waived fines had Chase staged a true holdout from the beginning of camp, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes the fourth-year wideout needed to show up to collect a $3.81MM training camp roster bonus. Rather than a holdout leading to fines scrapped (potentially) due to Chase being on his rookie deal, he would not have been able to recoup the bonus had he held out. Seeing as Chase has yet to cash in on a monster second contract, showing up for camp by Day 3 — when the bonus was due — was seemingly a non-decision.
More significantly, the Justin Jefferson contract has changed an already-booming receiver market. Chase wanted to wait for his college teammate to cash in, as it would stand to improve his terms, and the Vikings gave their All-Pro weapon a record-smashing $88.7MM guaranteed at signing and $110MM guaranteed in total. That has undoubtedly affected the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb negotiations and has likely bled into the 49ers’ talks with Brandon Aiyuk. Chase is younger than both and may end up the closest to Jefferson when these first-rounders are all signed.
Mike Brown said earlier in camp the Bengals view Chase as their second-best player and one the team would “bend over backwards” to sign, though the owner stopped short of saying an extension was likely this year. The owner/nominal GM alluded to no deal happening this year, but Chase is seemingly trying to force the team’s hand. The former No. 5 overall pick is tied to only a $1.1MM base salary (plus the aforementioned bonus) this year.
The Bengals exercising Chase’s fifth-year option, however, gives them two more years of control. Two other teams — the Eagles and Dolphins — broke with precedent by signing first-round receivers (DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle) to extensions with two years of control remaining, but the Bengals are more traditional in how they operate.
While the Bengals paid Joe Burrow a year early, most teams with franchise-caliber first-round QBs do so. The team waited until just before A.J. Green‘s fifth season to pay him back in 2015. The Bengals also relented on contract structure for Burrow, authorizing guaranteed salary beyond Year 1. The Bengals traditionally only include the signing bonus as a post-Year 1 guarantee, as Orlando Brown Jr.‘s 2023 agreement showed recently. They might need to make an exception for Chase, but ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano brings this matter up as one that will pertain to the negotiations with the three-time Pro Bowler.
The Bengals would rather address this matter in 2025, Graziano adds, and SI.com’s Albert Breer offers that Chase may ultimately be OK with that route as well. Lamb and Aiyuk will likely have second contracts by then, providing a clearer roadmap for the new market. The Bengals may need to find a guarantee compromise with Chase, as Jefferson’s numbers are out of step with the market. Lamb and Aiyuk, however, figure to provide a bridge between Jefferson’s fully guaranteed figure and the next-closest number (Tyreek Hill‘s $54MM).
Chase and Jefferson were communicating during the latter’s Minnesota negotiation, Breer adds, so it stands to reason the Cincinnati target will seek a similarly structured contract. The Bengals are one of the few teams who still proceed this way in terms of guarantees, and Graziano adds this has caused issues with players they have attempted to sign in the past.
A report indicating the team has bristled at the notion it will need to change its guarantee policy for non-QBs sets the stage for a complicated negotiation. While Chase’s rookie deal points to this showdown taking place in 2025, this issue will certainly come up as the team’s top weapon angles for Jefferson-level terms.
Another entitled gen z loser. So sick of these kids. The rules of the NFL have been altered to allow for more exciting passes, if these guys played 20-30 years ago nobody would know their names.
Then stop watching the games and reading NFL reporting. Pretty simple.
We can only hope guys like that would but unfortunately he won’t.
What? We’re not allowed to voice our opinions?
Funny how people only “vent” when players are the ones pulling this stuff. When the teams cut players with 2-3 years left on a contract that the team agreed to or when teams force good players to take pay cuts like just happened with Kyle juszczyk with the threat of cutting them I don’t see people on here “venting” about these entitled greedy billionaires stealing money back on contracts they agreed to.
I guess nobody is allowed to vent if showmebb is around.
Yes, because entitlement is definitely exclusive to a single generation.
There’s a reason I’m never going to collect social security benefits
Whose is their best player? Joe is hurt half the time.
Obviously Big Jackson Carman. Duh
I live in Cincinnati among this extremely bias fan base and all I heard for weeks and weeks was how Cincinnati was going to bring Justin Jefferson in with Joe and Chase.
I’ll admit, I’m a browns fan since the 80’s so I have no love for this franchise and I have zero actual knowledge of the teams finances, but there’s a lot of money tied up in a guy who can’t stay on the field. I feel Minnesota may have a better chance at bringing Chase in than JJ to Cincinnati.
link to youtube.com
“You Don’t Live in Cleveland, You Live in Cincinnati!”
Adds to the legacy of that rivalry.
Must hurt to cash those $75K game checks ….then see the taxes come out. Ouch!
If Chase wants to cash his guaranteed contract early, he must be prepared to take a discount on its AAV. Right now Cincinnati enjoy a relatively risk-free two years which could see a career ending injury. Chase is smart to want to lock up a $100 million. But to do so, he’ll have to agree to play out the existing years at existing value, take a signing bonus to make up for difference, add another three years at a slightly discounted value for the opportunity to cash in early.
These players certainly did not grow up in business households and slept through any economics classes they may have had.
Cincinnati may give in, but if they do, the Bengals are done for a decade as every other player will start playing hard ball in negotiations.
Why on earth would the bengals agree to pay 25mm+ per year rather than the rookie deal? This is an absolute non-starter for Chase
They will slap him with the tag in revenge, I’d guess