Ja’Marr Chase reportedly has specific goal for his new contract

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) walks for the locker room after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 3 game between the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer/USA TODAY NETWORK

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase reportedly has a fairly simple goal for his new contract.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier this week that Chase is using Justin Jefferson’s contract as a framework for his own deal. That is true in the most literal sense, as Chase reportedly wants to beat the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver’s number by at least one cent.

From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: According to coach Zac Taylor, #Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase is expected to play Week 1. pic.twitter.com/Bdly8EPEhb

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2024

“My understanding is the two sides are still discussing a potential long-term extension that, if he got it, would make him either tied for the highest-paid receiver with Justin Jefferson, or beating Justin Jefferson by one cent, which I believe is in fact the goal by Ja’Marr Chase,” Rapoport said.

For context, Jefferson got a four-year, $140 million deal from Minnesota earlier in the offseason.

Chase has long said he intended to use Jefferson’s deal as a template for his own. Chase has become a dominant force in his own right with three straight 1,000-yard seasons to his name to open his career, putting him not too far off of his former college teammate.

For the moment, Chase and the Bengals have no deal in place, though they are still talking. At the very least, the Bengals should have a clear idea of what he wants.