The possibility loomed last offseason that Ja’Marr Chase would sign an extension making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. The Bengals are well aware of the fact that will be required this time around to secure his future beyond 2025. 
De facto general manager Duke Tobin said at the Combine earlier this week Cincinnati is prepared to authorize a deal which will move Chase to the top of the receiver pecking order. Doing so will require surpassing Justin Jefferson‘s Vikings extension signed last offseason ($35MM per year). An asking price of $40MM annually has been floated, although it remains to be seen where team and player stand with respect to finances at this stage of negotiations.
On that note, Dianna Russini of The Athletic writes an offer has been made to Chase’s camp (subscription required). Notably, though, she adds the sides are not close to an agreement at this point. The Bengals’ offseason to-do list includes not only working out a monster deal with Chase, of course, but also finding a resolution with fellow receiver Tee Higgins along with granting edge rusher Trey Hendrickson a raise.
Higgins is expected to receive the franchise tag for the second year in a row, something which will buy the Bengals time to work on a multi-year pact. Hendrickson requested a trade last year in the wake of his unsuccessful attempts to land a lucrative extension, and he would again be onboard with a deal sending him elsewhere if it resulted in a raise ahead of 2025. Tobin and the team remain confident agreements can be reached on all three fronts, but ensuring Chase is in place for the foreseeable future represents an obvious objective.
The 25-year-old won the ‘Triple Crown’ in 2024 by leading the NFL in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Chase could easily command a deal allowing him to join the six-man group of receivers averaging at least $30MM per season on his second contract as a result, but a larger-than-expected spike in the salary cap could help his cause even further. Quarterback Joe Burrow has been vocal about signing his former LSU teammate to a new pact but also managing to keep Higgins and Hendrickson in the fold.
The Bengals currently have roughly $61.5MM in cap space, a portion of which will be needed for a new Chase pact (although since his fifth-year option was picked up last spring, he is already on the books for 2025 at $21.82MM). A partial training camp holdout took place in this situation last summer with no deal being reached; plenty of time remains before such a scenario could come into play again, but progress will nevertheless apparently need to be made at the negotiating table.
We’ll have to ask Duke what Chase asked for after he gets up off of the floor from laughing so hard he passed out. Chase will get 38 a year and Higgins 28, Burrow will restructure his contract and Hendrickson will walk after he plays this year at what he is signed for, or maybe they trade him for a 3rd round pick.
Bengals dragging things out as usual and doing nothing but making other players not want to come here to avoid the same crap.
Who are these players that have said they have no interest in playing in Cincinnati? I can’t think of a single one who made a public statement to that effect.
Forty million is ludicrous. Between Burrow and Chase, this would be almost $100 million of the Bengals salary cap. Plan on another lamentable defense, the highest scoring games in the NFL and no playoff success.
Better to cut bait now. If Chase doesn’t want to play ball with Burrow (that means some kind of reasonable deal), let him go to Carolina or some other place without a quarterback.
Would you want to be the guy who tells Joe that the team is cutting bait with Chase… but bringing back A.J. Green to save some bucks?
I’d hate to be the guy explaining to the other 51 players that no one else gets paid because 40% of the salary cap is taken up by Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase.
The cap is $279 million and Joe/Ja’Marr will have at most a combined $67 million hit in 2025. Next ill-informed point?