The contract saga between the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase has entered daily update land ahead of Week 1.
On Thursday, Chase was again not dressed for practice and watched from the sidelines.
Prior to this, things got a little weird in Cincinnati on Wedneday when Chase didn’t practice, instead showing up in street clothes. That, after he had returned to being a participant earlier in the week and head coach Zac Taylor had suggested all was going back to normal for Chase and that he should be ready go go for Week 1.
For one NFL insider, Chase’s reverting back to a non-participant was him sending a message to the team in response to Taylor’s comments.
For his part, Taylor walked back his comments, suggesting he might’ve spoken too soon on the topic.
As always, the usual things apply here. Chase has two years left on his rookie deal, but recent big paydays for Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb have accelerated things. The Bengals have made it clear they will do whatever it takes to keep Chase long-term.
As of now, though, there’s little reason to think Chase won’t ramp up and play Week 1 and the extension happens next summer, as originally expected. Some of this has been expected posturing and leverage plays that usually happen around these possible mega-contracts. A report says both parties are still working on the extension right now.
Even so, Chase is now the headline act for the Bengals every single day until something changes or they kick off the regular season.
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic provided the visual of Chase going out to practice:
Ja’Marr Chase walking out to practice in street clothes as the team goes through the early drills for second straight day. pic.twitter.com/0A3pCxHH1I
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) August 29, 2024
