Tag: Bengals contracts

Ja’Marr Chase feels like Bengals ‘misled’ him during contract standoff

A bad update on the standoff between the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase.

A new report paints the contract situation between the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase in a pretty bad light.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chase won’t partake in contract talks with the team during the season unless something changes.

And it gets worse:

According to sources, the star wide receiver believes the Bengals misled him when they told him at the end of last season, and again during the offseason, he would get an extension that ultimately did not happen.

The report goes on to note that the contract talks this summer featured numbers that would beat the annual average of $35 million that Justin Jefferson got from Minnesota, but that other structures and payout details were issues for Chase and his reps.

Now, there are a few catches here.

For one, the Bengals don’t talk extensions during the season, anyway. As Schefter goes on to point out, Andrew Whitworth in 2015 was the only exception in the last two decades.

Two, we already knew that the guaranteed money wasn’t to Chase’s liking, perhaps especially in the case of injury guarantees.

And three, the fact Chase took out a $50 million insurance policy on himself against injury for this season, per Schefter, simply adds further confirmation that this is merely the latest leverage play by a player and his camp in these circumstances.

As has been the case all along, Chase had handled things well, walking the tightrope between showing the team he’s serious about his market-resetting contract while not overly harming the team.

That won’t appease all fans, of course, especially after the offense’s flop in the Week 1 loss to New England. But he didn’t do a dramatic holdout during training camp, nor miss games that matter, which given the money at stake for a player of his caliber (especially after he watched the team break precedent for his quarterback last year), is notable.

And while this all seems very dramatic, it merely moves the extension to next summer which, for the most part, was the expected time for one anyway. There, the Bengals will likely pay up well over that $35 million and fix the guarantee structures to Chase’s liking.

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Ja’Marr Chase’s contract standoff summed up well by Cowboys superstar

One Cowboys star has some words of advice on the whole Ja’Marr Chase contract situation with the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase ended up playing in Week 1 after there were doubts that he would since he held out of training camp.

Another receiver who held out this preseason, Dallas Cowboys CeeDee Lamb – who signed a four-year, $136 million extension before the season began – went on Kay Adams’ show, “Up & Adams,” where he revealed his thoughts on his counterpart’s situation.

“I feel like he’s playing it right. He’s doing it right. All it’s going to take is one big game for him to show his worth,” Lamb said. “Obviously, Week 1 is tough for us because we’ve been holding out, but once we get acclimated and our bodies start getting back into the grind of things, it’s going to pop off. I have no doubt that he’s going to have a great year this year.”

Though they were in different situations before the season, Chase with two years left on his deal, and Lamb headed into the final year of his before he signed the extension, Lamb still had some advice for the Bengals pass catcher.

“I know for him it’s a very difficult situation mentally,” Lamb said. “Obviously, physically, he’s been playing ball his whole life, so I’m not really worried about him being ready. But mentally, just be locked in. Stay true to yourself and always just stay true to what you believe in… Keep working, keep grinding bro. I can’t tell him anything that he doesn’t know already. You’re going to get what you’re worth.”

Chase’s contract situation rolls on, and likely will for a while now that he has officially decided to play without a new contract. But if it doesn’t get figured out before next season, it could be a completely different story for the Bengals.

Chase finished Week 1 with six catches for 62 yards in what was an underwhelming performance for the entire Bengals squad at home against the New England Patriots.

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NFL insider reveals what went wrong between Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase

A behind-the-scenes look at what went wrong between the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase.

An NFL insider says Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase and his reps aren’t happy after fiveish months of extension negotiations fell apart at the deadline over the weekend.

On his “NFL Spotlight” podcast, Ari Meirov said that the Bengals and Chase tried roughly up until the Week 1 kickoff to get an extension done — but key factors prevented it.

“They tried Friday night,” Meirov said. “They even tried on Saturday, into Saturday night. And they continued into Sunday morning, actually. They could not bridge the gap. It just was not happening. There were numbers they couldn’t figure out. There was a cashflow issue, there was a year issue, the APY was fine, it would have surpassed Justin Jefferson. But everything else was not there.”

Meirov noted that average annual numbers on the proposed deal were in the $36 million range and speuclated that the number could climb to $40 million by this time next year.

Also important to realize, as Meirov detailed, is that Justin Jefferson went through the exact same thing with the Minnesota Vikings last year before getting his market-resetting contract this offseason.

While we may never get more info than this, it’s notable that Chase and his reps were frustrated with how the Bengals go about extension talks.

And when it comes to a so-called “years” issue, it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that Chase’s side wanted roughly three years, while the Bengals were pushing for four. Players want shorter, lucrative deals to get back in extension talks sooner as they remain in their prime (perfectly understandable), while teams want more control for a longer amount of time.

Given that Chase has two years left on his rookie deal, plus any tag possibilities from the team’s side, it’s not a shock to find out cash flow and years were barriers the two couldn’t get past together.

For now, it sounds like Chase will simply play on the fourth year of his rookie deal. Despite the frustration, it’s hard to imagine the two sides don’t get something done in 2025, as originally anticipated, anyway.

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Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals won’t reach extension before Week 1 kickoff

The Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase won’t agree to a contract extension.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase won’t have an extension done before Week 1 kickoff on Sunday.

So says ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Now official: The Bengals and WR Ja’Marr Chase are not expected to reach a contract extension before today’s regular-season opener, per sources. It remains unclear if Chase will play today. Actives/Inactives in 30 minutes.”

Chase is set to play 2024 on the fourth year of his rookie contract, a $9.8 million cap charge that — technically — only featured $1 million in base salary.

Conventional wisdom said the sides would do an extension in the summer of 2025 before his fifth-year option season. But the wideout market developed faster than expected with Justin Jefferson resetting it completely and both CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk coming close.

Those big names out of the way, Chase rightfully performed a “hold-in” during camp and impressed the organization in the process, missing all but one day of training camp.

Chase appeared to force the team’s hand by returning to practice, then sending a message by reverting back to being a non-participant last week after head coach Zac Taylor suggested everything was back to normal.

Right after that, a report emerged that the Bengals had “intensified their efforts” to get something done. Chase then joined practices before Week 1, but told reporters that while he might play without an extension, it also might be on a “limited” basis.

The team had always been adamant Chase will remain alongside Joe Burrow, but it appears an extension will have to wait until next summer — pending his participation on game days and how things develop from here.

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Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals contract standoff updated by multiple reports

What reports currently have to say about the Ja’Marr Chase contract situation with the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said his deadline for a contract extension was the Friday before Week 1.

As of Saturday morning, though, all onlookers have are reports from the media about the happenings and no news on a new deal.

Friday night, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that things are currently in “contract chicken” mode:

Here’s how we understand things. Chase has communicated his best number to the Bengals. The Bengals believe, we’re told, that if they don’t move from their current number, Chase will accept it on Saturday.

The following morning, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that things are in the “redzone” for the two sides, though things very much remain in Chase’s hands.

What’s interesting here is that Chase suggested on Friday that he would, indeed, play without a new extension, although in Week 1, he might be “limited” on a snap count perhaps under his normal workload.

No matter how it plays out, Saturday and up to kickoff on Sunday might finalize things one way or the other, it seems, with both parties entrenched.

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Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase makes telling comments about contract standoff

Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase met with the media and had some things to say about his contract extension.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase could have used his anticipated media interview session on Friday to seemingly put some pressure on the team about his extension.

But he didn’t totally commit to that route, instead suggesting that he could at least somewhat play without a new deal.

Chase told reporters after practice that a contract extension is “in reach,” per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. He also said that while he’s a game-time decision against the New England Patriots, he could be “limited” if he does suit up, per WLWT’s Charlie Clifford.

Per the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith, Chase said his deadline for an extension was Friday.

Prior to this, a recent report said that meaningful progress on extension talks is what spurred Chase to return to practice at all ahead of Week 1.

For now, it seems clear that Chase and the Bengals remain close, but that it’s on the team to drag things over the finish line.

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Why Ja’Marr Chase returned to Bengals practice despite contract standoff

A key negotiations reason explains why Ja’Marr Chase is back practicing with the Bengals.

The latest on the contract drama between the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase continues to be good news.

Wednesday, Chase was a “limited” participant in practice, with the videos of him walking in pads and eventually repping with Joe Burrow quickly going viral.

Those who thought that meant contract talk progress would be correct, too.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that very thing later the same night, though suggested that doesn’t mean a deal is imminent.

“The Bengals have made significant offers to Ja’Marr Chase,” Rapoport said. “I would say at least somewhat in the neighborhood of what he wants. They do not have a deal yet. I wouldn’t describe this as close. But I would say that it’s at least close enough for JaMarr Chase to practice. That is a big deal. I know there’s some optimism.”

The fact the Bengals are close enough to get Chase on the field ahead of Week 1 would seem to be a good sign, though. That is much better than say, needing to sit back and analyze his cryptic social media posts or the messages he’s sending to the team by sitting out.

Earlier this week, a supposed “stalemate” was broken when the Bengals got more aggressive on an extension in response to Chase’s camp finally opening up the talks more.

Given the pace of things now, one has to think that a deal remains possible between right now and through Saturday night.

For what it’s worth, the Bengals announced the Joe Burrow extension last year on a Thursday night as the Kansas City Chiefs opened the season’s kickoff. Those Chiefs again open the season this week on Thursday night. For what it’s worth, anyway.

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Ja’Marr Chase contract holdout: Zac Taylor comments, practice update

The latest on Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals during his contract holdout ahead of Week 1.

Cincinnati Bengals fans won’t be surprised to find out that head coach Zac Taylor had little to say about the contract standoff or practice fate of star wideout Ja’Marr Chase.

What they might be surprised to find out, though, is that Chase dressed for practice on Wednesday.

Chase didn’t participate on Monday, though Wednesday was really the landmark day to watch as it signaled the first serious prep work for the Week 1 opener against the New England Patriots.

That Chase was out there and dressed at all (as opposed to the street clothes that he donned for most of training camp) didn’t immediately hint to contract progress, or whether he just wanted to be out there with his teammates when it mattered.

The biggest pre-Wednesday updates focused on a cryptic social media post from Chase and a report that he was still part of the team’s Week 1 gameplan.

Otherwise, as the Bengals ramped up their efforts to do an extension, another report said a “stalemate” had been broken.

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Is Ja’Marr Chase in Bengals’ Week 1 gameplan during contract standoff?

A new report details Cincinnati’s Week 1 plans for Ja’Marr Chase during the contract standoff.

The stalemate between the Cincinnati Bengals and star wideout Ja’Marr Chase has finally been broken.

That would explain why a report over the weekend said the Bengals had ramped up efforts to get an extension done before Week 1.

And it would also explain why Chase very much remains in the Week 1 gameplan against the New England Patriots despite his lack of practice since training camp started.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported early this week on Scoop City that Chase remains in the gameplan against the Patriots.

That’s not much of a surprise, but it has to be nice for fans to hear. Chase doesn’t need all that long to get in gear alongside Joe Burrow given their reps together in the past across various levels of the sport.

And if Chase’s football shape were a concern, word would have leaked out from the Bengals or otherwise by now.

Compared to other leaguewide holdouts that have been messy, the situation with Chase has been mostly mild despite him likely wanting to be the highest-paid receiver in the NFL — despite two years remaining on his current contract.

Other than that hiccup where Zac Taylor suggested things were back to normal and Chase sent a message to the team by not practicing, there hasn’t seemed to be a major concern that Chase could miss the season opener.

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Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals extension ‘stalemate’ broken due to key reason

More insight on the Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals contract standoff.

There is now more to suggest that some of the holdup for the Ja’Marr Chase extension with the Cincinnati Bengals came from the wide receiver’s camp.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently wrote that there seemed to be some “frustration” from Cincinnati’s side about the delay from the player’s side of things and added this:

I think the Lamb deal is probably what needed to happen to break the stalemate.

Chase and Jefferson were in touch, of course, throughout Jefferson’s negotiation. Remember, Chase is the same guy who opted out of his final college season during the pandemic, so it’s not like he hasn’t considered major business decisions as a football player before. In this case, he certainly knew how his buddy could change the market and, given the extra year he had on his contract, would materially impact his own negotiation.

It has to be stressed: This isn’t a shocker at all. Back in January, Chase made it very, very clear he wanted to wait on Tee Higgins, Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb.

Now? Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk have combined to settle that wideout market just underneath Jefferson, leaving Chase to come in at Jefferson’s number or higher.

That would explain why the Chase contract saga took a significant turn over the weekend ahead of practice for the season opener.

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