The majority of contract drama has been resolved in the NFL but the last receiver looking to get a big deal done is Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase.
Chase's negotiations have been pushed into the spotlight after Minnesota's Justin Jefferson, Dallas' CeeDee Lamb and San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk signed monster deals and according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Chase is bringing a new meaning to the phrase "every penny counts."
"My understanding is the two sides are discussing a potential long-term extension that if he got it, can either tie for the highest-paid receiver in Justin Jefferson or beat Justin Jefferson by one cent, which I believe is in fact the goal for Ja'Marr Chase," Rapoport said. "We will see over the next... couple days until the season starts whether or not that happens."
Rapoport also mentioned that he believes that Chase will play Week 1 since he is holding in for a new deal, which means he is contractually obligated to play for the Bengals. But Chase's contract situation sounds strangely familiar to the one the Vikings faced with Jefferson one year ago.
Jefferson - Chase's former LSU teammate - went to the negotiating table a year earlier than most after setting an NFL record for the most receiving yards (4,825) in the first three seasons of a player's career. The Vikings worked until their season opener to get a deal done but Jefferson opted to bet on himself and signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Chase has a similar resume with 3,717 yards over his first three seasons with the Bengals and even helped lead Cincinnati to the Super Bowl with 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns during his rookie season in 2021.
While Chase has a good reason to get paid, the Bengals have just $9.5 million in cap space heading into this season. Quarterback Joe Burrow - Chase's and Jefferson's former LSU teammate - also has a five-year, $275 million contract extension kick in this season and fellow receiver Tee Higgins has his own contract dispute after signing the franchise tag before training camp.
This leaves the Bengals in a tough situation where they would probably like to sign Chase to an extension but may have to wait until the following offseason to give him what he's looking for. While Jefferson played through the 2024 season, he also suffered a hamstring injury that limited him to 10 games, jeopardizing his big deal.
Everything eventually worked out with Jefferson in the end and it's safe to assume the Bengals will find a way to do the same with Chase, even if it doesn't happen until next spring.
