Cincinnati Bengals News & Rumors

Last week, it was reported that the Bengals and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who have been negotiating a contract extension for months, would not reach an agreement prior to the club’s regular season opener. At the time, it was still a bit unclear whether the parties could continue their talks during the season.

That now appears unlikely. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the negotiations will “probably” be tabled for the remainder of the 2024 campaign, unless the team – which is historically disinclined to hold in-season contract talks – does something to rekindle them.

Chase is apparently unwilling to restart discussions himself, with Schefter noting that the star wideout feels misled by the club. Cincinnati reportedly told Chase during his exit meeting following the 2023 season and then again at the scouting combine that a deal would get done, and the fact that he is still playing on his rookie deal while fellow 2021 draftmates Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle, and DeVonta Smith have landed their second NFL contracts has left a sour taste in his mouth.

Of course, Chase is looking to top all three of those players and land a deal in Justin Jefferson territory ($35MM AAV, $88.7MM in full guarantees). Chase said shortly before the Bengals’ Week 1 matchup with the Patriots that an extension was “in reach,” but as we have noted previously, the structure and cash flow of the Bengals’ proposal was not acceptable to the No. 5 overall pick of the 2021 draft (Cincinnati generally prefers to make a signing bonus the only post-Year 1 guarantee, although quarterback Joe Burrow became an exception to that rule and, since Chase is a generational talent, the team likely will need to deviate from its traditional stance for him as well).

Chase’s decision to break off talks and play out the season without a new deal in place obviously brings the possibility of a career-altering injury undermining his earning power into play. In order to safeguard against that, Chase has taken out a $50MM insurance policy on himself, which has given him all the peace of mind he needs. As one source succinctly said of Chase: “he’s good.”

While negotiations seemed to get close to the finish line by the time the season opener rolled around, the fact that Chase reported to training camp on time made discussions seem a little more advanced than they really were. Chase was always going to report on the third day of camp in order to collect his $3.81MM training camp roster bonus, but due to “a miscommunication and a misunderstanding,” he arrived on the first day. He also initially threatened to miss the first two games of the regular season before deciding that he would play regardless of contract status.

Even with Chase in the fold, the Bengals suffered an upset loss to New England in Week 1 and will have their work cut out for them as they take on the Chiefs today.

A breakthrough in the case of Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals could be imminent. The fourth-year wideout said on Friday (via team reporter Geoff Hobson) an extension is “in reach.”

While Chase added that he is prepared to play this season without an extension in hand (h/t Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network), that update points to a deal being distinctly possible before Week 1. Cincinnati has made increased efforts in recent days to get an agreement over the finish line.

That process includes a “significant” offer which is on the table as the countdown to Week 1 continues. Chase has practiced on a limited basis this week, and he termed himself a game-time decision for Cincinnati’s season opener. Team and player could continue negotiations into the regular season, but all of the other receiver mega-deals of the 2024 offseason have been worked out by now. As things stand, Chase is on the books through 2025.

The Bengals made the obvious move of picking up his fifth-year option last offseason, and as a result he is due to collect $21.82MM next year. The three-time Pro Bowler has long been on the extension radar, though, and he confirmed (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.) talks have been ongoing for six months. Chase said he was informed by the front office a deal would be worked out this offseason, with today representing his artificial deadline for an extension to be signed.

Cincinnati has stood firm in terms of not breaking organizational practices by making guarantee commitments beyond the first year of an extension. Quarterback Joe Burrow represents an exception to that rule, and the same will surely be true for Chase if/when his extension is on the books. Justin Jefferson reset the WR market with a $35MM-per-year accord and nearly $89MM in guarantees. CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) and Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) have since signed big-ticket deals of their own, with Lamb in particular landing a similar commitment for locked in compensation. It remains to be seen where Chase will land in the pecking order amongst young wideouts, although his Friday comments confirmed he sees himself as the league’s top receiver.

Burrow is in place long term, and his connection with Chase has remained strong at the NFL level after their time together at LSU. Tee Higgins will play on the franchise tag in 2024, and a free agent departure would come as no surprise. Chase figures to be in the Bengals’ offensive plans for years to come, and that may be official in time for the start of the season.

Although several deals — most notably the one in Minnesota — transformed the wide receiver market this year, no more tectonic shifts remain for the Bengals to observe. The market’s next seismic move figures to come out of Cincinnati. Will the sides hammer out a deal now or end up waiting until 2025?

Ja’Marr Chase has practiced in a limited capacity in each of the past two days, doing so after previously yo-yoing between a hold-in and participating. While this bodes well for Chase’s availability in Week 1, this situation is not yet settled. The fourth-year wideout is not viewed as a lock to be on the field against the Patriots.

[RELATED: Assessing WR Market’s Growth In Rookie-Scale Era]

Not known as a team that gives in on these matters, the Bengals may be forced to deviate from their usual contract practices to lock down Chase. The team does not offer non-quarterbacks guarantees beyond Year 1 of extensions, making the Bengals among the few NFL teams who still proceed this way. Jefferson, however, reset the market by securing $110MM guaranteed ($88.7MM at signing), and the Cowboys soon gave CeeDee Lamb $100MM guaranteed ($67MM at signing). The market is effectively set for Chase, who is a year younger than both players.

Chase is angling to top Jefferson’s $35MM-per-year accord, and while the guarantee structure figures to present more complications for the Bengals than reaching that AAV will, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the team has submitted a “significant, significant” offer to the All-Pro talent (video link). The team had recently intensified its effort to extend Chase, and this process is going down to the wire.

It is not known if the parties will shut down negotiations after the regular season begins, but recent Bengals negotiations have proceeded this way. Tee Higgins and the team stopped talking after a below-market offer annoyed the team’s WR2, and the most lucrative receiver contract in Bengals history — A.J. Green‘s four-year, $60MM deal — was agreed to on Sept. 11, 2015. That resolution occurred two days before the regular season that year.

No Bengals player is currently tied to a contract that included upfront guarantees between $146.5MM (Joe Burrow‘s) and $31.1MM (Orlando Brown Jr.‘s signing bonus). Chase will need to land well north of Brown’s number to sign, and he has used this practice pattern to effectively ramp up negotiations with the Bengals. With no other receiver dominoes to fall, Chase slow-playing matters — something the Bengals viewed him as doing earlier this offseason, as the Jefferson-Vikings negotiations finished up — is no longer necessary. Six wideouts are now tied to deals worth more than $30MM per year, compared to one in 2023. At 24, Chase can pair his accomplishments (three Pro Bowls, one second-team All-Pro nod) with youth to push the Bengals to the brink.

Some among the Bengals have bristled about the notion the franchise needs to adjust its guarantee structure to accommodate Chase, but contract structure has been an issue during these talks. Mike Brown had pointed to a 2025 agreement being more likely, when addressing the matter early in training camp, but called Chase the team’s second-highest priority behind Burrow. With the club not expected to give Higgins a long-term deal — in large part because of Chase’s upcoming payday, be it this year or next — the runway is clear for the former No. 5 overall pick to sign. All that remains is an old-school organization offering a market-value extension.

Chase topping Jefferson’s number would make for four receivers setting a position AAV record this year. Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and Jefferson have done so. St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith have been paid among 2021 first-round wideouts. It would look strange — despite every team in the rookie-scale contract era waiting until Year 5 to extend a Round 1 WR, before this offseason changed the game — if Chase was left on his rookie deal for a fourth season. That is close to happening, as the LSU alum continues to angle for the top WR payday.

For the second straight day, Ja’Marr Chase has taken part in practice. The extension-seeking wideout was listed a limited participant once again, with rest – rather than an injury – being named as the cause (h/t ESPN’s Field Yates).

Chase has been present with the Bengals throughout training camp, but he has rarely been on the practice field while negotiations on a monster extension take place. The three-time Pro Bowler is positioned to land a deal at or near the top of the receiver market, a commitment which (if finalized) will break with organizational tradition in terms of including guaranteed money beyond Year 1 of an extension. That was a requirement for Joe Burrow‘s pact, but it remains to be seen if one with a similar structure is worked out in Chase’s case.

The 24-year-old’s camp slow-played negotiations during the spring in the eyes of the team, but Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk have all agreed to extensions with their respective squads this offseason. Those pacts range between $30MM and $34MM in annual value, and the Lamb accord bridged the gap between Jefferson and the rest of the market in terms of guarantees. A commitment surpassing the one Minnesota made for Jefferson might be needed for Cincinnati to keep Chase in place beyond 2025.

With the Bengals seeming to prefer waiting until next offseason to get a deal done with the LSU product, questions have lingered regarding whether or not he will take the field for Week 1. Indeed, ESPN’s Dan Graziano notes some within the organization have brought up Le’Veon Bell‘s 2018 Steelers holdout when discussing Chase’s situation. During his final college campaign, Chase opted out of the pandemic-altered season knowing he would be one of the top prospects in his draft class. Selected with the No. 5 pick in 2021, his reunion with Burrow has paid considerable dividends.

Chase has raked up 29 touchdowns in his three regular seasons to date, surpassing 1,000 yards each time. Expectations will be high for continued production on that level moving forward, especially if franchise tag recipient Tee Higgins departs in free agency next March. The Bengals have made a push in recent days to finalize an extension, but neither Burrow nor head coach Zac Taylor has firmly stated Chase will be on the field for Week 1. A lack of practice reps is not a concern, however.

“Preparation is an important part of getting ready to play games, but I don’t have a ‘Hey, this threshold has to be met for this individual in this particular instance,,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said (via Graziano’s colleague Ben Baby). “We take it day-by-day and make the best decision we think we can make in the moment.”

Cincinnati’s 2024 campaign will begin against New England on Sunday. The Bengals will no doubt want to have clarity on Chase’s situation by that point, but it remains to be seen if he will be available.