Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase will now resume negotiations with the team this offseason, as he is entering the final year of his rookie deal and did not get a long-term extension ahead of the season.
Kelsey Conway of The Enquirer reports that Chase turned the most recent deal down due to “cash flow” reasons in the Bengals’ final offer.
Bengals’ director of personnel Duke Tobin gave an update on where things stand between the two sides when asked at the Senior Bowl.
“It’s a priority for us,” Tobin said, via Kelsey Conway of The Enquirer. “It’s something we feel like there’s a framework to work off of. Should be a pretty easy framework to work off of. 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.”
Tobin is referring to the contract extensions for Vikings WR Justin Jefferson and Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb. Jefferson agreed to a four-year deal worth $140 million, including $110 million guaranteed. Lamb signed an extension worth $136 million over four years with $100 million guaranteed.
Chase will expect his deal to top both contracts and to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback.
Chase, 24, was a two-year starter at LSU and a unanimous All-American during his sophomore season. He opted out of the 2020 college football season due to the pandemic. The Bengals took Chase with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
He is in the fourth year of a four-year, $30,819,642 contract with the Bengals that included a $19,774,285 signing bonus. The Bengals picked up a fifth-year option on him worth $21.816 million fully guaranteed for the 2025 season.
In 2024, Chase appeared in 17 games for the Bengals and caught 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.
We’ll have more on Chase as the news is available.
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