According to Kelsey Conway , Bengals EVP Katie Blackburn indicated the Bengals and WR Ja’Marr Chase have not started negotiations on a new long-term deal.
She says it’s a mutual decision between both the team and Chase to wait and see how the market develops.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, Chase’s former teammate at LSU, is entering the final year of his contract and his extension from the Vikings will likely set the parameters for the Bengals and Chase.
Now that he’s completed three seasons, Chase is officially eligible for a new deal. However, the Bengals have him under contract for two more seasons, including the fifth-year option which they will almost certainly pick up by the May deadline.
Chase, 24, was a two-year starter at LSU and a unanimous All-American during his sophomore season. He opted out of the 2020 college football season due to the pandemic. The Bengals took Chase with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Chase is in the final year of a four-year, $30,819,642 contract with the Bengals that included a $19,774,285 signing bonus. The Bengals will have a fifth-year option to pick up on him in 2024 worth $21.816 million fully guaranteed.
In 2023, Chase appeared in 16 games for the Bengals and caught 100 passes on 145 targets for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns.
We’ll have more on the Bengals and Chase as the news is available.
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