The relationship prevailed and won out and the month-long hold-in appears to be officially over. Bengals No. 1 wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will be ready to go for Week 1 against the down-trodden New England Patriots.
Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor was asked by reporters on Tuesday if he was confident that Chase will play Week One against the Patriots, and Taylor answered with one word, an emphatic, “Yes.”
The Cincinnati coach said it has been great to see Chase practicing with the team and creating chemistry this week.
“I think it gives you the visual of what it’s going to look and feel like for us,” Taylor said. “It’s been good to get him back in the mix the last couple of days.”
Chase skipped training camp practices because he was unhappy and frustrated with the Bengals who are known for being excessively frugal, and not giving him the contract extension that he feels he deserves, but he returned to practice in good faith this week. Taylor said that Chase has not loss a step and looked like his old self on the practice field.
Embed from Getty ImagesChase has two years left on his rookie deal, including a fifth-year option that is worth $21.8 million, according to the Roster Management System. Since entering the league in 2021 out of LSU, Chase has been Mr. Consistency and is seventh in total receiving yards during that period of time (3,171), according to ESPN Stats & Information.
In his first three NFL seasons, Chase has been one of the NFL’s best wide receivers, totaling 29 touchdowns. At the young age 24, the sky is the limit and he has a very bright future ahead of him, and at some point, soon, he is a lock to sign a lucrative long-term contract extension to remain with the Bengals. That apparently will be on the backburner and not happen this year, but Chase will now get to work on having a big season that leads to an even bigger payday in
2025.
