NFL Rumors: Ja’Marr Chase Contract the ‘Priority’ for Bengals as WR Skips OTAs

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was not in attendance at OTAs Tuesday amid contract discussions, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, but a deal could be coming soon.

Darlington explained Tuesday on SportsCenter how Justin Jefferson’s contract with the Minnesota Vikings could make an impact:

“He’d been waiting for this deal, he made clear this is exactly what he was waiting for. He wanted Justin Jefferson to get his deal and then perhaps they could get negotiations going there. It does feel like Chase is the priority for the Bengals. We know Tee Higgins is sort of waiting in the wings, but if Chase does get this deal with the type of guaranteed money that Justin Jefferson got, it’s going to be hard to imagine this team being able to devote that much of their salary cap to one position. But right now I’m being told that Chase remains the priority for this team.”

This comes after The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. reported Chase could wait to sign a deal.

“League sources indicated Chase signing before this season would likely mean his camp giving up more than a little in the negotiation,” Dehner wrote.

Dehner added: “There’s still room for Chase— and his value— to grow in Cincinnati.”

According to Dehner, the Bengals’ negotiations will focus on how much guaranteed money it will take to keep Chase in Cincinnati.

Dehner noted that Cincinnati has historically hesitated to offer high guarantees, with the notable exception of last year’s five-year extension for quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow was offered a guaranteed $219 million, seven times higher than the franchise’s previous guarantees record.

Would the Bengals consider making a similar exception for Chase, who has established himself as one of the league’s best rookies in three NFL seasons?

That will be the question now that Jefferson raised the receiver market to new heights. His four-year, $140 million contract with $110 million guaranteed has made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

Chase is currently eligible to sign an extension for the first time since the Bengals selected him with the No. 5 pick of the 2021 draft. The 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year has since topped 1,000 receiving yards and earned Pro Bowl nominations in all three of his NFL seasons.

The 24-year-old receiver is set to play out the 2024 season at a $9.8 million cap hit in the final season of his initial rookie deal. The Bengals have already picked up his fifth-year option at a fully-guaranteed $21.8 million for the 2025 season, per Over the Cap.

Another successful season as a top target for Burrow could potentially be enough to sway the Bengals toward offering another unprecedented extension to their star receiver, but Chase may have to wait until next offseason to earn it.