Ja’Marr Chase reportedly feels the Bengals misled him during offseason over contract negotiations
Ja'Marr Chase's representatives announced that their client will no longer negotiate a new contract until the end of the 2024 season.
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Ja'Marr Chase (Image via IMAGO)
Ja’Marr Chase’s future with the Cincinnati Bengals remains hanging by a thread after the wide receiver announced he has no plans to negotiate any contract extension. He will continue to play for the Bengals without one for the 2024 season.
Chase was in line for a new deal going into the season, but the Bengals kept delaying it. He skipped both OTAs and minicamp, with plans not to show up for the first two days of training camp.
A miscommunication led to him attending the camp on the first day instead of the pre-planned third to collect his $4 million showing-up bonus, which backfired completely. He eventually ended up coming to practice almost every day. With how things stand now, as per Adam Schefter, Chase has no intention of negotiating a long-term deal with the Bengals this season and feels the team misled him during the offseason.
Breaking: Ja'Marr Chase has no plans to negotiate a long-term deal with the Bengals this season and believes the team misled him during the offseason, sources tell @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/RILJdoxo8g
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 15, 2024
Chase saw his 2021 peers, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle, and Trevor Lawrence, signing massive contracts with their respective teams. So his camp issued a warning that if the Bengals did not comply with his demands, then they might have to play without the 3x Pro Bowl receiver for the first two games of the regular season, including against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The former first-round pick had a change of heart, and before the season Bengals faced the New England Patriots, the 24-year-old committed to play for his team. Unfortunately, the Bengals ended up losing the game 16-10, and Chase only caught the ball six times for 62 yards.
Ja’Marr Chase took out insurance on himself
Chase perhaps realized when the negotiations for a new deal got delayed that it might take a while before the Bengals showed interest. The Cincinnati franchise is famous for not extending player contracts while the season is in full swing. The last core player who got an extension was offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth in 2015 (H/T: Sports Illustrated).
So, Chase decided to take out $50 million in insurance on himself to cover for any injury he might sustain during the season. This came as a surprise because last week, he turned down a $35 million offer, equaling his LSU teammate Justin Jefferson’s annual income from the Minnesota Vikings. The nature of the contract—mainly the guaranteed money—wasn’t to his liking.
BREAKING: Ja'Marr Chase feels misled by the #Bengals over a promised extension, per ESPN.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 15, 2024
He took out a $50M insurance policy and his camp threatened to skip two games.
A deal was expected to make him the highest-paid WR, but he was not happy with the structure.
WOW… 😳 pic.twitter.com/i1cpLOFG0P
The situation is at a standstill for the time being. Chase’s situation was similar to CeeDee Lamb‘s until the Dallas Cowboys made him their highest-earning wide receiver in the franchise’s history.
Regardless, Chase is focused on playing against the Chiefs, whom he hates more than any other team in the NFL. He will be traveling to a hostile environment on Sunday, aiming to spoil the momentum of a historic three-peat.
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Ishan Misra
(2963 Articles Published)