Ja’Marr Chase contract: Bengals WR wants record deal that exceeds Justin Jefferson extension, according to report

If the Cincinnati Bengals want to sign a contract extension to Ja’Marr Chase before the start of the season, it looks like they’ll have to write a pretty hefty check to do so.

According to NFL Media, Chase wants a new deal that would make him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history. That title is currently held by Justin Jefferson, who got a new four-year, $140 million extension in June. Chase doesn’t want to end that deal. Instead, he just wants to extend it by a penny.

“My understanding is the two sides are still discussing a long-term extension,” Ian Rapoport said this week, “If he gets that extension, he’ll either become the highest-paid receiver tied with Justin Jefferson, or beat out Justin Jefferson by a percentage, which I believe is Ja’Marr Chase’s goal.”

That’s right, Chase wants to beat Jefferson’s deal by less than a cent, so it seems like a four-year extension worth $140,000,000.01 would get the job done. Chase and Jefferson were former teammates at LSU, so it’s not a huge surprise that the Bengals receiver wants to beat his friend.

Although it’s a big price tag, it would be wise for the Bengals to make the deal now. Chase still has two years left on his rookie deal, while Jefferson only had one season left when he signed the extension.

For the Bengals, the benefit of doing the deal now is that they’ll be able to spread Chase’s cap hit out over six seasons. Chase will get just $1.055 million in base salary this year, then a fifth-year option in 2025 that will give him $21.82 million. If the Bengals match Jefferson’s deal (or pay him a cent more), they’ll have Chase under contract for a total of $162.88 million for the next six years, or $27.15 million per year, which seems more favorable to the team than $40 million per year.

The drama between Chase and the Bengals has continued throughout the offseason. The receiver sat out every practice of training camp before returning to the field this week. After working out with the team earlier in the week, coach Zac Taylor announced that the receiver would definitely play in Week 1 against the Patriots.

Apparently, Chase didn’t like this statement, because after Taylor made the comment, the receiver Refused to go on the field for Cincinnati practice on Wednesday. After that session, Taylor wasn’t sure if Chase would play in the opener. “Maybe I spoke too early and blew my mouth,” Taylor said Wednesday, referring to his comments on Monday.

This is a tough situation for the Bengals because it’s unprecedented in NFL history. It’s almost unheard of for a player to sit out a contract dispute with two years left on his rookie deal, especially a non-quarterback. It’s also rare for a non-quarterback to get a new deal with two years left, but it has happened. Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith — who were both in Chase’s draft class — both got new deals this offseason, and that’s probably why Chase feels he deserves one now, too. That being said, Waddle and Smith both worked out their deals amicably and didn’t miss any practice time (Smith He got a new deal in April While Waddle He got an extension in May,

Waddle and Smith both signed three-year extensions, so they are now under contract for five more years. It’s unclear whether Chase wants a three-year deal at $40 million per year (plus a dime) or a four-year deal at $40 million per year (plus a dime).

From a contract standpoint, Chase doesn’t really have any leverage. If a player is healthy and doesn’t practice, he can be fined by the team. However, it’s unlikely the Bengals will go that route. Taylor has tried to make peace with the situation. Plus, Chase knows how important he is to the Bengals, thanks to comments from owner Mike Brown Created before training camp,

“He is an important player after Joe [Burrow]”He’s our next guy. He knows that. We know that. It might take some time. We’ll do everything we can to make it happen. I can’t tell you when that will be,” Brown said in late July.

Although Brown said the team would make every effort to get the deal done, he also said the new contract likely wouldn’t be in place before the start of the season, which is why the Bengals are in their current dilemma.

“This is not the right time to have this conversation,” Brown said. “The offseason is a better time to do that and we’re going to try to stay focused on the football part. I’m not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you the tables have probably turned.”

With just 10 days until the Bengals’ opener against the Patriots, time is running out for both sides to get a deal done. If a deal doesn’t get done, it will be interesting to see if Chase is willing to sit out any games for his new extension.