Report: Ja'Marr Chase to 'Command' $40 Million Per Season on Next Contract

 Ja'Marr Chase isn't looking to let the Bengals off the hook for not signing him to an extension last offseason. Fox Sports's Jordan Schultz reported this week that Chase is looking for $40 million per season on a new deal.

All of this as the NFL salary cap projections came in higher than expected between $277.5 million to $281.5 million in 2025.

"It's no coincidence that Joe Burrow has been so public about his desire for the Bengals to extend both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins," Schultz wrote. "Consider it a pointed message to the front office. Chase, as I've reported, was very, very close to getting a deal done before last season began. In fact, multiple sources familiar with the negotiations say that the 2024 triple-crown winner was even willing to sit out the team's first couple of games. Ultimately, Chase chose to play and now Cincinnati is staring at the league's first $40 million wide receiver. That's right: Chase will command at least $40 million per season. 

"Meanwhile, league sources believe that Higgins, whom the Bengals are predictably tagging, could have gotten upwards of $30 million on the open market. A rising star who would surely be the No. 1 option on most teams, Higgins is just 26 years old and saved his best football to close the season. He also happens to be represented by Alliance Sports, the same agency representing Chase, which means all the leverage is on their side. The Bengals rarely break precedent on contracts, with Burrow inking $55 million a year as the most prominent exception (they sold naming rights for Paycor Stadium in the same year)."

Chase has earned every penny he can possibly get after becoming the third player this century to lead the NFL in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17).