by There has been speculation over the last few weeks that star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals have been negotiating a long-term extension to properly pay Chase the amount he deserves, but the two sides have not yet been able to agree.
Ja’Marr Chase is set to play this season in the final year of his contract and is set to make $4.86 million (CBS), which when compared to what the other top receivers make in the league such as Justin Jefferson or Tyreek Hill, is not a lot of money. Chase is seeking a deal in the $35 million a year category, which is what his ex-college teammate Jefferson signed his new deal for.
Chad Ochocinco, former prominent wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, said that Chase will not play if a new deal does not get done before the first matchup of the season against the New England Patriots. According to Stripe Hype, Johnson said “He’s not touching the field. Certain players can separate their love for the game and business. If it was me, I’d have been out there practicing, deal or no deal, I don’t care. But on the business side of things, Ja’Marr, his team, they understand now, and this is the only way to get deals done.”
The fact that this deal has not been done yet is not only affecting the relationship between Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals, but these negotiations also have affected Joe Burrow. As training camp the preseason progresses, Burrow will begin to grow frustrated with the front office as the only option on the table is to pay Chase what he deserves and make him a top-payed wide receiver in the league because if Mike Brown and the Bengals won’t, another team that has a great quarterback that wants a superstar to throw to and has the money to do so will pay him the amount he deserves.
In that same article from Stripe Hype, Johnson also stated “Ja’Marr’s deal will get done, probably sometime this week, definitely before the season starts. Because I’m sure Joe Burrow will probably grow frustrated at some point not having his top receiver out there.”
By not paying him and delaying when he will fully be back with the team, Chase is missing vital reps at training camp that would allow him and Burrow to get on the same page and be 100% ready to go for the start of the season. It will not be a good look at the beginning of the season if the Bengals just made Burrow the highest-paid quarterback an offseason ago, and they are not able to get a deal done with an ex-college teammate and his #1 wide receiver for the last three seasons.
So for now it is just a waiting game. Will Brown pull the trigger and make Chase one of the highest paid receivers in the league? Ultimately how will this affect the relationship between Joe Burrow and the Bengals? We will look to see how everything unfolds in the next coming weeks.
