Ja'Marr Chase Sits Out Bengals Practice amid Contract Rumors Ahead of 2024 NFL Season
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacek
Featured Columnist IVJuly 25, 2024
It's been quite an offseason for the wide receiver position and new contracts, but Ja'Marr Chase has yet to receive one.
With that as the backdrop, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported the Cincinnati Bengals pass-catcher sat out his second consecutive practice on Thursday even though he was present on the sidelines.
ESPN's Adam Schefter noted that Chase is scheduled to make $4.86 million overall and $1 million in base salary and wants a new deal.
Amid speculation about Chase sitting out, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters that the wide receiver's missed practices are part of "a plan that he and I have in place."
Chase isn't the only wide receiver contract situation under the microscope in Cincinnati.
Tee Higgins is set to play the 2024 season under the franchise tag after he did not come to terms on a new deal. He also didn't receive the trade he reportedly requested earlier in the offseason, although he isn't holding out.
"This could be the last ride for me and the guys. You never know," Higgins said, per the team's official website. "Instead of holding out and waiting and just watching from afar, I'd rather be in the mix with the guys and grind it out with them. That's how I've always been."
There is more immediacy to the Higgins situation than the Chase one from the front office's perspective, as the latter is under team control for the 2025 season as well with a $21.8 million club option.
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Yet his desire for a new contract isn't exactly surprising.
After all, former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson reset the wide receiver market this offseason with a deal that pays him an average of $35 million per year. A.J. Brown ($32 million), Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million) and Jaylen Waddle ($28 million) also inked extensions that pay them serious per-year salaries.
Needless to say, Chase has been one of the most productive pass-catchers in the league alongside his well-compensated peers.
He has surpassed 1,000 yards and made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons since the Bengals selected him with the No. 5 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Last season, the 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year posted 100 receptions for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 appearances.