Last year, on the first Thursday of the regular season, the Bengals finalized a second contract with quarterback Joe Burrow. This year, on the first Thursday of the regular season, the Bengals and receiver Ja’Marr Chase will — or won’t — do the same thing.
If they don’t, things could get interesting, and ugly, in Cincinnati.
Chase is in the fourth year of his rookie deal. He clearly deserves a significant increase over the $4.8 million he’s due to make this year. The Bengals, surely aware that they’ll pay a higher new-money average per year if they wait until 2025, will get his services for 2024 at $4.8 million.
The desire to kick the can and keep him on the cheap for 2024 could be enough to keep a deal from getting done. Last year, the Vikings and Cowboys managed to delay doing second deals with first-round receivers Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb, respectively. The Bengals surely would like to do the same thing.
As one source with knowledge of the situation told PFT, it’s currently a fight between Chase and the Bengals to get something done.
So what happens if they don’t? On Wednesday, Chase practiced, but on a limited basis. Quarterback Joe Burrow at one point in his midweek press conference said, in reference to Chase, “if” he plays on Sunday.
Without a new deal, will he play? What will the Bengals do if he doesn’t? Will he cite an injury, real or imagined, to resist playing until he gets his deal?
As much as the Bengals might want to wait, they just need to do it.
It would be easy. A four-year, $$140.4 million extension would give him the highest new-money APY at $35.1 million. On a six-year deal (and counting the two years he has left on his current deal), that’s $163.271 million for Chase. Its $27.2 million per year from signing.
There’s a price to be paid for having great players. The Bengals would rather, for many of their good-to-great players, let them leave (often after one year under the franchise tag) and replace them with someone younger and cheaper via the draft. If they’re going to pay Chase eventually (and they likely will), they need to do it now.
Otherwise, his fourth year won’t be as effective as it could have been. And the Bengals won’t be as effective as they could have been.
