The Bengals have pissed off Ja’Marr Chase.
The star receiver now has “no plans” to negotiate a long-term deal with the Bengals during the 2024 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Per the report, Chase believes the Bengals “misled him” regarding their intention to sign him to a long-term deal.
As we’ve previously reported, Chase showed up for training camp in order to earn his $3.8 million training-camp roster bonus. Crafted as a device to get a first-round player the bulk of his fourth-year money early, the training-camp roster bonus prevents a meaningful holdout from a player who have far exceeded expectations.
Chase considered sitting out last Sunday’s game against the Patriots. He ultimately chose after pre-game warmups to play. He’s now choosing to see out the season without a new contract.
Frankly, the end result is likely exactly what the Bengals wanted all along. Yes, the eventual contract will likely be more expensive later. But they will have gotten his services for 2024 at the bargain-basement rate of $4.8 million, total. If a new deal had been done, he would have earned a lot more than that this year.
The Bengals have his rights through 2025, with the franchise tag available beyond that. And while money cures everything, the Bengals have an issue with Chase for the rest of the year. They’ll have to count on his commitment to his teammates and basic pride in his performance to ensure he gives it his all for the balance of the season — and that he’ll play if/when he’s less than 100 percent.
It’s a risk the Bengals are willing to take, primarily because they’ll only have to give him less than $5 million this year.
