NFL insider sensed 'frustration' from Bengals during early negotiation efforts with Ja'Marr Chase
All eyes are on the Cincinnati Bengals as wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's hold-in rapidly approaches the start of the regular season.The longer this whole thing drags on, the more questions start to arise as to why it's all happening in the first place. The Bengals want to extend Chase, and Chase obviously wants an extension. […]
All eyes are on the Cincinnati Bengals as wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's hold-in rapidly approaches the start of the regular season.
The longer this whole thing drags on, the more questions start to arise as to why it's all happening in the first place. The Bengals want to extend Chase, and Chase obviously wants an extension. But which side wanted to start the process first?
You'd think Chase's representation would be the answer. Several wide receivers received massive new contracts this offseason, so it makes sense why he wants to get paid as soon as possible.
But Chase might have been the one exercising patience in the beginning.
Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer recently reported that the Bengals wanted to begin negotiations earlier in the offseason and sensed "frustration" due to a lack of movement from Chase's side. Breer also mentioned that Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb's four-year, $136 million contract should be what gets Chase's camp to "break the stalemate."
"As I see it, the Lamb contract should simplify things for the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase. Earlier in the summer, I sensed some frustration from Cincinnati—the team wanted to negotiate, and get something done with Chase, but his camp was moving slowly, if at all, on playing their part in it. I think the Lamb deal is probably what needed to happen to break the stalemate." — SI's Albert Breer
Lamb's contract, which was agreed upon a week ago, is a huge piece of the puzzle as it's the second-largest contract for a wide receiver. Only Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson's four-year, $140 million deal exceeds it. Jefferson's deal was seen as an outlier for months until Lamb was able to bridge the gap, so it makes sense as to why Chase wanted its existence to support his negotiations to sign something similar, if not greater. There have been reports of "some progress" since then.
On the other hand, Chase has a strong case to be paid more than Jefferson, so why would he have to wait until Lamb put pen to paper? It's just as plausible that the Bengals wanted to wait to see what happened with Lamb so they could be sure to not sacrifice too much ground in negotiations.
Timing seems to be the main issue for both sides, which is why conventional wisdom painted the Bengals as the culprit. Chase is under contract for two more years while Jefferson and Lamb were entering true contract years this offseason. The Bengals could (and may have already) used that fact in negotiations, or to stall them altogether.
But if Breer is on the right track and Chase's side wasn't willing to budge until movement on the market, then the Bengals deserve a little more credit than previously realized.
Bengals’ Week 1 depth chart requires a little bit of nuance at the tight end position
Two very different players will have very different roles, regardless of their starting status.
