After participating in some light practices earlier in the week, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase observed practice from the sideline over the past few days. This tactic appeared to be a resumption of his training camp hold-in, with the wideout continuing to seek a lucrative contract extension. With Week 1 rapidly approaching, it sounds like Chase’s efforts may be working.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals have “intensified” their efforts to extend Chase in recent days. The organization’s goal is to get the wideout back on the practice field for the start of next week, and there’s some optimism within the building that the two sides can find common ground.
As noted throughout this saga, Chase’s two remaining years are a negotiation hurdle. Fowler adds more context, noting that the Bengals are wary of guaranteeing too much money when they still have the former first-round pick locked in through the 2025 campaign.
From a total-value perspective, the Bengals are more than willing to meet Chase’s demands. Per Fowler, the organization is willing to pay Chase more than $30M per season. However, it was assumed the front office would have to promise this AAV, considering six wideouts are now at or above that threshold. We heard recently that multiple teams expect Chase to top Justin Jefferson‘s $35M AAV, but it sounds like Chase’s guarantees would trail Jefferson’s $88M-plus in guaranteed money.
With the wideout attending practice, Chase appeared to have abandoned his hold-in earlier this week. Zac Taylor was definitive that his star wideout would be available for Week 1, but things took a turn as the week went on. Chase attended practices on Wednesday and Thursday but was spotted wearing street clothes, and Taylor was quick to walk back his previous comments.
Taylor’s declaration could end up being correct. However, it sounds like the two sides still have to overcome their contract staring contest before next Sunday.
