Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase during the Tee+Jaden+BMaze Celebrity Basketball Game hosted by Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and Oak Ridge alum Tee Higgins at Oak Ridge High School's Wildcat Arena on June 20, 2025. Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ESPN Names Ja'Marr Chase's New Contract Among Most Player-Friendly Deals

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 7:19 AM ET

The Bengals have historically not agreed to a litany of player-friendly deals, but ESPN's Dan Graziano noted how different the case is for Ja'Marr Chase.

He labeled the star's new contract extension as the most-team-friendly wide receiver contract in the league across its four-year, $161 million timeline.

"If the Bengals wanted to cut Chase after this season, they'd have paid him $73.9 million for one season," Graziano noted. "If they wanted to cut him after 2026, they'd have paid him $73.9 million for two seasons. If they wanted to cut him after 2027, they'd have paid him $103.8 million for three seasons -- which is still $34.6 million per year. The fact that Chase and his agent got the Bengals -- who loathe future-year guarantees like poison -- to do this deal is a triumph that contract historians are likely to study for years to come."

Chase got the deal he's been looking for this offseason and seemingly a lot of nice incentives along the way from Graziano's assessment. It makes sense to keep a player like this happy. Chase has been healthy for the most part in his career and is now arguably the best wide receiver in the league after a triple-crown season.

Time will tell if his teammate Trey Hendrickson gets a fresh extension on the other side of the ball.

Check out Graziano's full thoughts here.