It became pretty clear during training camp that Ja'Marr Chase wasn't very happy with how contact negotiations were going with the Cincinnati Bengals and one reason for that is because the receiver feels that the team misled him.
According to ESPN.com, the three-time Pro Bowler felt misled because the Bengals approached him about a contract extension multiple times during the offseason, but didn't end up giving him one. Chase, who completed the third year of his rookie contract in 2023, never asked the team for an extension during the offseason. Instead, it was the Bengals who broached the subject and they did it twice. According to ESPN, the team first brought it up at Chase's exit interview in January following the end of the 2023 season. The team then mentioned it again in February at the NFL combine.
Chase spoke with the media on Sept. 6 -- two days before Cincinnati's first game -- and during that interview, he definitely seemed frustrated with the fact that a deal didn't get done.
"We've been doing it for the past six months, seven months, going back and forth. It's been a long process," Chase told the media.
With the Bengals bringing up the possibility of a contract extension all the way back in January, Chase clearly felt that a deal would get done before the 2024 season kicked off, which seems to be the big reason why he feels misled by the team.
The Bengals reportedly made an offer to Chase that would have put him in a tie with Justin Jefferson for the title of highest-paid receiver in NFL history, but Chase turned down the offer because he didn't like the way the guarantees were structured (You can read about that offer here).
During his interview on Sept. 6, Chase had said that Sept. 6 was his deadline for getting a deal done and apparently, he plans on sticking with that promise. According to ESPN, Chase doesn't plan on negotiating a long-term deal with the team during the season "unless the team does something to change the situation."
Although the two sides could still get a deal done during the regular-season, that seems highly unlikely. The Bengals have a long-history of not handing out any contracts during the season. Over the past two decades, the only time they've ever negotiated a contract during the season came in 2015 with Andrew Whitworth and that only happened after the offensive lineman personally wrote a letter to team owner Mike Brown. Whitworth was in his 10th season with the team at the time and the Bengals ended up giving him a one-year extension.
Whitworth was also in the final year of his deal before getting the extension, which isn't the case with Chase. The Bengals receiver is under contract for both 2024 and 2025, so he won't be leaving Cincinnati anytime soon. Chase has a base salary of $1.06 million this year and then he'll get a fifth-year option salary $21.82 million in 2025 if he doesn't get an extension.
With Chase, things got so acrimonious at one point that his representatives told the Bengals he might sit out the first two games of the year, but cooler heads prevailed and Chase let everyone know that he wouldn't be sitting out any games whether the deal was done or not. However, he did sit out all of training camp.
The Bengals play the Chiefs on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS and there's no way that Chase was going to miss that game. The Bengals receiver has had some of his biggest games against Kansas City: Chase has the most receiving yards per game (106.6) against the Chiefs all-time for anyone who's played against them at least five times.
The Bengals are looking to avoid an 0-2 start after shockingly losing to the New England Patriots in Week 1.
Before that stunning loss, Chase was asked how his contract talks were going and he gave an interesting answer. "I want to say we're off a little bit, but it's in reach," the receiver said on Sept. 6. "I'd say we're pretty close. A few numbers need to be switched around and changed other places, but I'll say we're pretty close."
Chase said the two sides were close, and now, we know how close they were: They were close enough that he thought a deal might get done, but far away enough that he now feels misled since a deal didn't get done.
Although Chase didn't get the contract he wanted, he did take out a $50 million insurance policy that will protect him against injury and any potential lost earnings, according to ESPN.
