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Duke Tobin: Signing Ja’Marr Chase to an extension is “a priority for us”

Last offseason, the Bengals and star receiver Ja’Marr Chase could not come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension.

Chase the No. 5 overall pick of the 2021 draft, then went out and had the best season of his career by winning the triple crown — leading the league with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards, and 17 touchdowns.

He’s now set to enter the last year of his rookie contract as the price of a new deal has ostensibly gone up.

During the Senior Bowl this week, Bengals director of player personnel told Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer that signing Chase is “a priority for us.”

“It’s something we feel like there’s a framework to work off of. Should be a pretty easy framework to work off of,” Tobin said. “Guys in his position have recently re-done contracts. We believe in Ja’Marr, he’s very important to us. The other guys that have done contracts are very important to their teams. So, we believe there’s a real framework to work off of.

“I would expect that we could come together on something that makes sense for both sides.”

Conway noted that the reason why Chase rejected the last contract offer from the Bengals last summer was due to “cash flow.”

Cincinnati also will have to decide whether or not the club will pay to retain fellow receiver Tee Higgins in the coming weeks, as he’s set to become a free agent in March.