No Extension Expected During Season For Bengals & Ja’Marr Chase

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase has no plans to negotiate a long-term extension with the team during the season.

According to Schefter, Chase believes the Bengals “misled” him during the offseason that an extension would get done.

However, no deal is in place and it appears as though Chase will have to wait until next year to rekindle extension talks.

Schefter leaves the possibility open that talks could resume if “the team does something to change the current situation.”

The Bengals are one of the teams known to shut down extension talks with players during the season and Schefter expects them to do the same with Chase.

Chase has reportedly taken out a $50 million insurance policy on himself for this season to safeguard against injury and any potential lost earnings.

Multiple players from his draft class have already received lucrative extensions and Chase is clearly among the best players at his position. He could ultimately push for a long-term extension worth more than the $35 million per year the Vikings are paying Justin Jefferson.

Sources tell Schefter that Chase’s representatives threatened to miss the first two games of the season if an extension was not agreed to. Although, Chase eventually reported for the start of the season.

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. 

Chase 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 2023, Chase appeared in 16 games for the Bengals and caught 100 passes on 145 targets for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. 

We’ll have more on Chase as the news is available.