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When the Cincinnati Bengals were unable to come to a long-term extension with superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, it started a very dangerous game in “The Jungle.”
If Chase showed up and showed out, playing at a high level for the Bengals, he would most certainly be looking for a deal healthier than whatever he would have commanded before the year, but if he had a down campaign or, football gods forbid, suffered a career-ending injury, it could have taken some of the pressure off of the Bengals to make him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL when their roster isn’t good enough to justify such a massive deal.
Well, as it turns out, Chase played like Chase, and the Bengals now find themselves in the unfortunate – for their collective wallet, anyway – situation of having to make the pride of LSU one of the highest-paid players in the NFL regardless of position.
And according to Fox Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the first number on each year of Chase’s next deal could start with a four, making him the NFL’s first-ever $40 million per year wide receiver.
“It’s no coincidence that Joe Burrow has been so public about his desire for the Bengals to extend both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Consider it a pointed message to the front office,” Schultz wrote for Fox Sports.
“Chase, as I’ve reported, was very, very close to getting a deal done before last season began. In fact, multiple sources familiar with the negotiations say that the 2024 triple-crown winner was even willing to sit out the team’s first couple of games. Ultimately, Chase chose to play, and now Cincinnati is staring at the league’s first $40 million wide receiver. That’s right: Chase will command at least $40 million per season.”
Goodness gracious, is Chase worth being paid more than many quarterbacks? Does he help an offense out more than Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr, or Baker Mayfield, who all fall at or below that $40 million AAV number?
In a word, yes.
While Chase has played all of his NFL career with the Bengals, logging snaps largely with MVP candidate Joe Burrow, when he had to catch passes from reserves, he proved he can near-single-handedly keep an offense afloat with his unique combination of size, length, and speed.
With Tee Higgins’ spot in the Bengals future very much up in the air, as he may not even play for the Bengals this fall if they franchise tag and trade him to one of his many suitors, Chase is going to have to prove he’s just as good as Justin Jefferson if he’s paid at a similar level. Fortunately, if any player is up to that challenge, it’s likely Chase, as when he’s on, there isn’t a defensive back in the NFL who can match his unique physicality for more than a drive or two, let alone a full game.
The post [Insider claims Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase could become NFL’s first $40...
