Ja'Marr Chase will not have a new contract this year.
The Bengals star receiver has been eager to sign a contract extension, but is reportedly hoping for a bigger deal than Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings. He tried to publicly downplay it..
ESPN Report on Saturday As of now, negotiations are “halted” and are likely to remain that way for the duration of the season.
Chase believes the Bengals “tricked” him in the process.
According to reports, Chase was led to believe that the Bengals had already offered him a contract extension at the end of last season.
ESPN also reported that Chase has taken out $50 million in insurance this season “to cover injuries and potential loss of income.”
In other words, he's doing everything he can to secure a long-term deal in the future.
“Overall, it's a learning process for me,” Chase told reporters earlier this month about his contract negotiations. According to the Associated Press“It's just a matter of how you handle the situation and not letting your emotions get wrapped up in it.”
Chase had six catches for 62 yards in the Bengals' Week 1 home win over the Patriots in a disappointing start to the season for Cincinnati, then had four more catches for 35 yards in Sunday's last-minute 26-25 loss to the Chiefs.
The LSU product was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has since developed into one of the league's best receivers.
He finished his 2021 rookie season with 1,455 yards receiving and has had more than 1,000 yards receiving in each of the two seasons since, including 1,216 last year when star quarterback Joe Burrow played in just 10 games due to injury.
Chase has a club option for next season at just under $22 million, the end of his current contract.
