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Cincinnati Bengals superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase just wants what’s fair in regards to a new contract.
ESPN’s Laura Rutledge spoke with Chase in Orlando at the Pro Bowl Games regarding his contract situation. The Bengals wideout is notably entering 2025 on the final year of his rookie deal after Cincinnati picked up his fifth-year option.
“I just hope I get what’s fair at the end of the day,” Chase said (18-second mark). “You know, doing what my worth is at the end of the day. Hopefully I don’t put too much pressure on anybody, but you know, I just want it to be fair, that’s all.”
Rutledge then asked what Chase thought was fair, and he provided this response after a chuckle: “Fair is just what I deserve. I can’t really say everything I want to say, but you know, it’s what I deserve, it’s what I worked for, it’s how hard I worked for. It’s a written story already, so it should be a fair change, yea.”
Chase became one of just 13 players to earn the NFL’s receiving triple crown when he amassed 127 catches, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns this past season.
Naturally, Chase deserves a record-breaking and market-setting wide receiver contract. Chase’s ex-LSU teammate, Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson, owns that record with a $140 million contract ($110 million total guaranteed) over four years ($35 million average annual value).
However, there’s a sticking point here that ESPN’s Dan Graziano discussed Friday.
“The Bengals have a long-held policy of refusing to guarantee any money beyond the signing bonus in long-term veteran contracts (other than Joe Burrow’s deal), and if Chase demands they make an exception for him, this could drag out for a while,” Graziano wrote.
“Cincinnati is likely to offer a massive signing bonus to try to convince Chase to sign while still holding to its policy. If he goes for it, that likely means he’d top the $38 million signing bonusCeeDee Lamb got from the Cowboys prior to the 2024 season.”
Graziano ultimately predicted that Chase will get five years for $180 million ($70 million guaranteed).
Last summer, Chase was a contract “hold-in” during training camp before playing out the year. He proved that he’s the best wideout in the game right now, and that should, in theory, lead to a record-breaking contract. For now, though, the waiting game on Chase’s deal continues.
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