The situation between the Cincinnati Bengals and star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase took a rather stunning turn on Wednesday, to say the least.
After mostly returning to practice for the first time all summer last week, Chase posted a cryptic-seeming message on social media, then didn’t practice on Wednesday — one day after head coach Zac Taylor suggested things were back to normal and that Chase would play in Week 1.
So what gives?
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport offered his take on the situation after that practice, essentially saying that Wednesday was about Chase sending a message to the team.
“This is just me reading into it, ‘like hang on, I’m not doing anything yet, I still want that new deal.’ That’s what this felt like to me, was Ja’Marr Chase pumping the brakes and saying ‘yes, I’ve been practicing, but no that doesn’t mean I’m stepping onto that field unless and until I get that mega-deal.'”
Rapoport also added that “from my understanding, it’s not impossible” that a deal could happen before Week 1.
It’s certainly one way to take things. Tuesday, Taylor says Chase will play Week 1 and all is well. Wednesday, Chase is in street clothes while his teammates practice.
Message received, right?
At the end of the day, maybe Taylor was doing the whole coach-speak thing and it backfired. But Chase is also likely using his last little bit of leverage he has before needing to get in gear for the season.
Either way, we know they’re talking about an extension and the fact that CeeDee Lamb just got a deal in Dallas that put him in that Justin Jefferson range establishes a market for Chase’s deal — even if it is seemingly a year early while he has two years left on his rookie deal.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: Ja’Marr Chase was back to not practicing today… pic.twitter.com/JvqeGUhDDG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 28, 2024
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