Ja’Marr Chase has not practiced with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason as he seeks a new contract, and the star wide receiver might be holding onto one interesting piece of leverage in negotiations.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter spoke about Chase’s hold-in during a Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” While Schefter said he ultimately believes the Bengals will sign Chase to a new deal, the reporter raised an interesting point about how Cincinnati’s early-season schedule might work to Chase’s advantage.
The Bengals open the season on Sunday at home against the New England Patriots. Since the Patriots are projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, the Bengals probably will not need Chase to secure a victory. As Schefter notes, the same might not be true for Cincinnati’s Week 2 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“The truth of the matter is they should be able to handle New England at home. The key thing here is that the Bengals play the Chiefs next week, in Week 2, and that becomes, to me, a real leverage point for Ja’Marr Chase,” Schefter said. “Because if somehow, someway, he’s still not practicing and not playing in that game, against that team, that impacts your ability in a game that could very well have seeding ramifications later in the season.”
You can hear more from Schefter:
"The Ja'Marr Chase situation is tricky because he has two years left on his deal..
I do believe the Bengals have made another push to try and get something done here..
The question is will Ja'Marr Chase be willing to skip games" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/L6yqM2LYWq
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 3, 2024
Schefter also reminded listeners that the Bengals signed Joe Burrow to a massive contract extension minutes after the regular season began last year, so something similar could happen with Chase.
Obviously, the Bengals want Chase back on the field as soon as possible. Though the former LSU star is still under contract for two more seasons, it sounds like the team is willing to give him a raise.
Some reports have suggested that Chase wants a deal that surpasses the one Justin Jefferson got from the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.
