Tag: Bengals contracts

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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Ja’Marr Chase extension watch: NFL insider reveals ‘some progress’

Things are heating up for the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase on the extension front.

As we wrote over the weekend, things have taken a turn for the positive between the Cincinnati Bengals and star wideout Ja’Marr Chase when it comes to his upcoming extension.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport updated the situation on Monday morning with a positive slant.

“The two sides are in talks for a deal though to make him among the highest-paid receivers in the NFL, or the highest-paid receiver, higher than Justin Jefferson,” Rapoport said. “There have been some talks, there has been some progress, but there’s for sure nothing done yet. So we’ll see what his status is.”

A prior report made it clear that the Bengals had upped their efforts to get an extension done after Chase reverted back to being a non-participant in practice last week.

For the Bengals, the Chase extension scenario has unfolded a year early due to other deals across the league. But it would behoove the organization to give arguably the best receiver in the league the deal he deserves before practice begins in earnest this week as the season opener against the New England Patriots looms closer.

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NFL analyst wonders if things will get ‘uglier’ for Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase

One analyst wonders how bad things could get between the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase.

By most accounts, the contract impasse between the Cincinnati Bengals and star wideout Ja’Marr Chase has been a relatively peaceful thing.

If anything, the “hold-in” is the best way Chase could have gone about showing his desire for a new contract while not pulling some of the theatrics seen by, say, Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco.

And yet, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wonders how ugly things might get over the course of the next week:

The situation has yet to explode, due in large part to the fact that the media hasn’t really focused on the situation — not with the Cowboys consuming all of the oxygen and attention. Of course, neither the Bengals nor Chase’s camp have provided many quotes or sound bites that would create headlines.

The simple truth is that it has been ugly. And there’s a good chance that, if Chase doesn’t get his deal by Thursday of this week, it could get a lot uglier.

There’s no question things silently escalated over the last week when Chase returned to practice, then sent a message to the team by shutting down again after some comments by head coach Zac Taylor.

But to suggest things have already been ugly feels off-base at this point. And national media hasn’t constantly gone over the story for a few reasons. Chief among those — the Bengals don’t give up a lot of leaky information and neither do Chase’s reps and frankly, the media had things like the tiring Aiyuk saga to command attention.

Now, things could get nasty as Week 1 practices fire up this week, sure. Chase is going to use his last bit of leverage and it could come at the expense of the team on the field when the games start to matter.

But as we’ve consistently written, it’s reasonable to think that a deal will get done. The Bengals don’t have a great reason to wait now that the market has reset, although it’s a year earlier than the team had probably hoped or anticipated.

Hence, things seemingly taking a turn on the whole Chase contract saga over the weekend.

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Bengals’ free-agency signing projected to possibly land mega-deal next offseason

Is a big name on the way to a big payday after a season with the Bengals?

A common thought since the Cincinnati Bengals hit free agency this past offseason is that new tight end Mike Gesicki might be the latest Joe Burrow target at the position to go make massive money with a new team.

And it’s a thought that continues right on up to the kickoff of the season.

The latest comes from Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, who writes that Gesicki is one of 10 NFL players capable of breaking the bank a year from now:

The tight end can work the middle of the field, as part of a dynamic passing attack. In turn, the Bengals could really use a player capable of creating mismatches from the position. In fact, no Bengals tight end has eclipsed 500 receiving yards since Tyler Eifert in 2015.

It’s certainly possible Gesicki could be that breakout tight end the Burrow era has been missing. There’s a chance the uptick in under-center looks this year makes that possible.

If so, a huge payday would follow. It did for C.J. Uzomah (three years, $24 million with the Jets) and Hayden Hurst (three years, $21.75 million with the Panthers). Both guys didn’t finish those contracts with their new teams.

Working against Gesicki making this happen, though, is the presence of second-year wideout Andrei Iosivas after his strong summer. He can play the slot, as will Ja’Marr Chase at times.

Plus, rookie Erick All is back seemingly earlier than expected and already appearing in two-tight-end packages and sixth-rounder Tanner McLachlan forced his way onto the roster, making the team keep five tight ends.

Given these developments, Gesicki could come in with lower usage than anticipated. Bad for him, but the team clearly has a good problem on its hands at the position.

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The Ja’Marr Chase contract saga with Bengals appears to take a turn

An update on the Ja’Marr Chase contract saga as the Bengals approach Week 1.

There appears to be some significant movement on the Ja’Marr Chase contract saga front for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Let a new report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tell it, the team has ramped up its efforts to get an extension done before Week 1 practice really gets going.

“From what I’m hearing, the Bengals have intensified their efforts to try to get this done in recent days. They are hopeful to try and get him back onto the practice field,” Fowler said on ESPN. “Nothing is imminent. People I’ve talked to in the building are somewhat optimistic and hopeful. There’s a feeling in the locker room that they can get him back here. But they’ve got to get this across the finish line.”

This…isn’t all that shocking. While Chase having two years left on his rookie contract complicates matters from a structure standpoint, the big three in front of him on the market — Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk — are all done.

Next up is Chase, who just sent a very clear message to the Bengals by reverting to a non-participant in recent practices. That, after Zac Taylor had suggested things were back to normal.

While Chase exercises the very last of his leverage, the Bengals don’t have many reasons not to get something done now to avoid issues. Chase deserves and will likely match or even slightly overcome Jefferson’s number and if that happens, given how fast the market moves, he won’t be in the top spot by this time next year.

This is the first credible report detailing the inner workings of this saga in a while. That it says the Bengals are making the push is good news. There’s a chance things still delay until next offseason, but in the past, the organization has been good at getting deals done with superstars in crunch time right before the season starts.

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Ja’Marr Chase-Bengals contract saga updated by NFL insider after Brandon Aiyuk deal

The latest on Ja’Marr Chase after the Brandon Aiyuk deal.

The contract impasse between the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase took a turn on Thursday.

There, Chase was a non-participant in practice for the second day in a row after seemingly sending a message to the team. But a team leader in the locker room backed him publicly in a big way.

And there was also that matter of Brandon Aiyuk getting a huge extension with the San Francisco 49ers.

So what does it all mean? NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport gave his take on the situation.

“I was joking about him wanting one cent more than Justin Jefferson. But not really, really joking because I actually do think in some ways if that structure’s like that, would get it done,” Rapoport said. “The clock is ticking, the Bengals can get it done. My question is, if they don’t…what then?”

We’ve always maintained that Chase will end up near or right at Jefferson’s total contract when the dust settles on this whole matter. It’s a little trickier than anyone would have predicted, though, because it is happening a year earlier than anticipated.

Still, now that Jefferson, Aiyuk and CeeDee Lamb are out of the way, the two parties can really go back and forth on the numbers. There’s not a lot of time left before Week 1, but enough to get something done and have him practice full-go.

And if not, things would just revert to what most had already expected, with Chase and the Bengals instead doing an extension next summer.

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Bengals leader throws public support behind Ja’Marr Chase during contract saga

One Bengals leader says there’s no issue in the locker room given the Ja’Marr Chase news.

The Cincinnati Bengals locker room, at least based on comments from one of its core leaders, is doing just fine amid the contract saga between the team and star wideout Ja’Marr Chase.

Speaking with reporters after the now-infamous practice in which Chase showed back up as inactive and in street clothes, center Ted Karras said all is well.

“I think it’s been handled fantastically,” Karras said, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia. “I understand the business aspect of it. There’s absolutely zero hard feelings among any players.”

From an outsider’s perspective, things have mostly been just fine between Chase and the Bengals while the two sides work on an extension.

Chase, minus one day, was at every training camp practice during his “hold-in” and ramped back up to practice this past week before then sitting out on Wednesday after comments from head coach Zac Taylor about his status.

The fact Chase reverted to a non-participant and the fact he’s seeking an extension with two years left on his deal caused some speculation from outsiders.

But based on Karras’ comments, everyone around the ordeal understands the back-and-forth leverage plays that happen around these top-of-market extensions.

Granted, we’ll have to see what happens when practice ramps up before Week 1 next week. But for now, these are the expected choppy waters during this type of situation.

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Ja’Marr Chase update: Bengals WR out of practice on Thursday

An update on Thursday from the contract saga between the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase.

The contract saga between the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase has entered daily update land ahead of Week 1.

On Thursday, Chase was again not dressed for practice and watched from the sidelines.

Prior to this, things got a little weird in Cincinnati on Wedneday when Chase didn’t practice, instead showing up in street clothes. That, after he had returned to being a participant earlier in the week and head coach Zac Taylor had suggested all was going back to normal for Chase and that he should be ready go go for Week 1.

For one NFL insider, Chase’s reverting back to a non-participant was him sending a message to the team in response to Taylor’s comments.

For his part, Taylor walked back his comments, suggesting he might’ve spoken too soon on the topic.

As always, the usual things apply here. Chase has two years left on his rookie deal, but recent big paydays for Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb have accelerated things. The Bengals have made it clear they will do whatever it takes to keep Chase long-term.

As of now, though, there’s little reason to think Chase won’t ramp up and play Week 1 and the extension happens next summer, as originally expected. Some of this has been expected posturing and leverage plays that usually happen around these possible mega-contracts. A report says both parties are still working on the extension right now.

Even so, Chase is now the headline act for the Bengals every single day until something changes or they kick off the regular season.

Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic provided the visual of Chase going out to practice:

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NFL insider explains why he thinks Ja’Marr Chase practiced, then stopped again

An NFL insider details what he thinks is going on with Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase.

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.

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Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase still working on extension gets more confirmation

Another update on the contract saga between the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase.

Before final cuts, one NFL insider confirmed that the Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase were still working on a contract extension despite the approach of Week 1.

And now we’ve got more confirmation of the ongoing talks.

The latest comes from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who says the fresh CeeDee Lamb deal in Dallas makes it easier for the Bengals and Chase to get something done.

“The Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase’s agent are still negotiating, still trying to work out a long-term deal. As Mike Brown has said, it’s a challenge,” Rapoport said, “mostly because it’s early and the expenditure for the Bengals would be massive. But it is still possible. They’re working and the landscape of the receiver deals got much more clearly defined with this CeeDee Lamb deal. You can’t argue that Justin Jefferson’s…was an anomaly…Chase is going to want to come in at or above his good friend Justin Jefferson.”

The thing about this small update is, one, the cost was always going to be massive for the Bengals either way. And two, Chase and his reps were always going to want to come in at or just above Jefferson’s number.

What’s interesting now is whether the Bengals and/or Chase’s reps wait to see what happens in San Francisco with Brandon Aiyuk, as he might be the last big domino on the market.

Since Chase is already back practicing, as expected, there’s no threat to the regular season here. Since he has two years left on his rookie deal, things could merely be delayed until next summer, as originally anticipated.

But the fact the two sides are at least talking is encouraging, as massive deals for names like A.J. Green and Joe Burrow have come together just before the season in prior years for the team.

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