There is now more to suggest that some of the holdup for the Ja’Marr Chase extension with the Cincinnati Bengals came from the wide receiver’s camp.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently wrote that there seemed to be some “frustration” from Cincinnati’s side about the delay from the player’s side of things and added this:
I think the Lamb deal is probably what needed to happen to break the stalemate.
Chase and Jefferson were in touch, of course, throughout Jefferson’s negotiation. Remember, Chase is the same guy who opted out of his final college season during the pandemic, so it’s not like he hasn’t considered major business decisions as a football player before. In this case, he certainly knew how his buddy could change the market and, given the extra year he had on his contract, would materially impact his own negotiation.
It has to be stressed: This isn’t a shocker at all. Back in January, Chase made it very, very clear he wanted to wait on Tee Higgins, Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb.
Now? Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk have combined to settle that wideout market just underneath Jefferson, leaving Chase to come in at Jefferson’s number or higher.
That would explain why the Chase contract saga took a significant turn over the weekend ahead of practice for the season opener.
