Chase Contract Unlikely This Season – When the dust settled and it was obvious that the Cincinnati Bengals would be locking up Joe Burrow and paying him top of the line franchise quarterback money, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place and had to start sorting out the rest of its financial dilemma.
While still grey in some defined and important areas, the picture is becoming clearer. Burrow is signed to a five-year, $275 million deal that leads the NFL in average annual salary. No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins has been slapped with the franchise tag, and is the only player tagged in 2024 who did not receive an extension.
Ja’Marr Chase, on the other hand, who played college ball with Burrow at LSU, is waiting anxiously for his own life-changing pay day. It feels as if he is next.
“He’s a key player,” Bengals owner Mike Brown told reporters Monday, via Cincinnati Bengals Talk. “Next to Joe, he’s our next one, and he knows it. We know it. This may take a while.
Embed from Getty Images“We are gonna bend over backwards to get it done. I can’t tell you when though.”
Thanks in large part to Chase’s rookie deal, which includes a fifth-year option worth $21.816 million, the Bengals have some built-in flexibility and protection. The market does not quite require the organization to be in a rush, not after Chase’s former LSU teammate, Justin Jefferson, recently signed a four-year, $140 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings, which could be used as a blueprint for Chase’s extension.
Because of this development, such an extension might be put on the backburner. It could turn into an offseason matter.
“I would tell you that’s a hard one, too,” Brown said. “With the cap and how it works, it’s a little different. Things can happen, opportunities can arise, unexpectedly even, and you can put deals together. No, we’re not gonna say, ‘Oh no, we’re not gonna do that deal,’ if it’s the right deal. But it’s not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate. The offseason is a better time for that.
“We’re gonna try to keep focused on the football part. I’m not gonna rule anything out but I will tell you the die has probably been cast.”
Chase did not participate in Organized Team Activities (OTAs) because of the contract, however, he did show up for mandatory minicamp, indicating Chase might report on time for camp with the understanding the Bengals are focused on taking care of him, eventually.
Bengals veterans are scheduled to report for camp on Tuesday.
Also…
Jets’ Reddick Skipping Camp Over Deal – What can go wrong will go wrong. Haason Reddick is officially holding out of training camp as he awaits a long and anticipated adjustment to his contract, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
Skipping training camp comes with severe penalties, including $50,000 per day fines for veterans like Reddick.
Reddick skipped offseason workouts, including mandatory minicamp following the trade from the Philadelphia Eagles to New York.
The 29-year-old, owed $14.25 million in base salary in the final year of his contract, made it crystal clear in Philadelphia that he was looking for a new deal with a significant bump in pay given his production on the gridiron. The Eagles then subsequently dealt Reddick to the Jets on April 1. Gang Green were aware of Reddick’s contract issues at the time of the trade and figured they could bridge the gap.
Rapoport reported that an all-out extension may be unlikely, but an adjustment to this year would likely result in Reddick joining the party.
After the Jets lost Bryce Huff ironically to the Eagles in free agency, the club made the move for Reddick with aspirations on the veteran filling a gaping hole in the rotation alongside former first-rounders Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV.
Reddick’s decision to accept hefty fines for skipping training camp deepens his entrenched position that he wants at least a tweak to his 2024 contract, if not more.
