On the injury report, Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase is officially listed as questionable for Week 1. But he’s not injured.
It all comes down, essentially, to a game of contract chicken.
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.
That might not be the case. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Chase is definitely willing to skip the game. Which would explain why he’s a very rare “healthy questionable.”
The Bengals host the Patriots on Sunday. Without Chase, it will be harder to beat the Patriots.