Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase missed 20 total practice sessions dating to the start of training camp. He returned from his hold in Wednesday, the first full practice of Week 1.
Chase will speak to the media on Friday, he said, but Joe Burrow addressed Chase’s return Wednesday.
“Great to have him back. Great player. A guy that we need to be our best,” Burrow said, via video from the team.
It still isn’t a given that Chase plays Sunday as he awaits a new contract, but the odds are better than they were Tuesday. Burrow said the Bengals will have two game plans — one for if Chase plays and one for if he doesn’t.
But Burrow expects Chase to be the player he’s always been if he does play despite missing most of training camp.
“He’s ready to go. . . . I saw him out there today,” Burrow said. “He looks fast, strong, like he always does. I know he’s been doing what he needs to do to stay ready, if he needs to be ready. I’m confident that if he does go out there Sunday he’ll be the Ja’Marr we all know.”
Chase has outplayed his contract, catching 268 passes for 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns in his three seasons. He is scheduled to make only $1.055 million in base salary this season, and the Bengals have exercised the $21.816 million fifth-year option on his contract for next season.
Chase wants to become the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback, a title that currently belongs to Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million extension with $100 million guaranteed.
“He’s always been a team-first, win-first kind of guy. That’s the kind of guy Ja’Marr is, and you want to reward those guys,” Burrow said.
Chase briefly returned to the practice field Aug. 26-27 on a limited basis following the Bengals’ third preseason game. That gave coach Zac Taylor confidence that Chase would play Week 1. Chase, though, had not practiced again until Wednesday, tapping the brakes on Taylor’s optimism.
Burrow got his five-year, $275 million deal agreed to three days before the 2023 season opener. Burrow is hoping for the same for Chase.
“It’s definitely a distraction when it’s not done,” Burrow said.
The Bengals may or may not get Chase’s deal done, and he may or may not play Sunday against the Patriots. But Chase’s return Wednesday delivered some optimism to the Bengals.