NFL insider warns Bengals of the inevitable if Ja'Marr Chase contract extension drama continues next year
The last thing the Cincinnati Bengals should want is another offseason of Ja'Marr Chase being dissatisfied.Chase was approached by the club this year about a contract extension, but a deal never materialized despite efforts leading all the way to the beginning of the regular season. Chase even performed a "hold-in" during offseason workouts and training […]
The last thing the Cincinnati Bengals should want is another offseason of Ja'Marr Chase being dissatisfied.
Chase was approached by the club this year about a contract extension, but a deal never materialized despite efforts leading all the way to the beginning of the regular season. Chase even performed a "hold-in" during offseason workouts and training camp, a leverage tactic that has worked for other NFL stars elsewhere like Brandon Aiyuk.
Both sides will restart negotiations after the conclusion of this season. If they don't see eye-to-eye this time around, Chase won't be very present.
Bengals can't afford to mess around with Ja'Marr Chase's extension again
It won't take long for the Bengals to ramp up efforts to sign Chase to a long-term agreement this offseason. It actually behooves the club to wrap it up as soon as possible before free agency begins. Getting ahead of any movement on the receiver market and having a clear sense of how much cash and cap space they have to work with will be critical factors in the process.
That said, there's no guarantee it will happen with haste. ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler tabbed the Bengals' upcoming negotiations with Chase as the biggest looming offseason team decision around the league, and that Cincinnati will let Tee Higgins leave in free agency to ensure enough money is available to pay Chase (which doesn't need to happen but this is how the Bengals operate).
But if a deal for Chase doesn't happen before the team begins workouts and practicing again, a hold out, not a hold-in, is expected from Chase:
"The feeling here is Cincinnati lets Tee Higgins walk in free agency and allocates resources for Chase, a 2026 free agent. If not, expect Chase to stay far away from the team for a while." – ESPN's Jeremy Fowler
Fowler is absolutely correct, and Andrew Whitworth looks more and more correct as time progresses. There was no reason for the Bengals to fall short in negotiations this summer when Chase was at least around the team despite not practicing for virtually all of training camp. The 24-year old is still leading the entire league in the big three receiving statistics (receptions, yards, and touchdowns), which positions him to earn the largest wide receiver contract in history.
The price has undoubtedly went up for Chase, and if the Bengals don't match it, he has every right to take a leave of absence.
Should Higgins' departure come before Chase's deal, that only gives the latter even more leverage. Without Chase, the Bengals' receiving corps would be Andrei Iosivas, Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones, and recently-claimed Isaiah Williams. A draft pick would surely be brought in, but operating an entire offseason without Chase or Higgins in the picture would be far from ideal.
The Bengals should know what's coming if they can't work things out with Chase early next year. They have zero excuse to not get it done.
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