Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is not practicing on Thursday for the second consecutive day. He was seen standing on the sidelines in uniform but with no helmet. It appears to be a "hold in" for Chase, who is seeking a new contract as he enters his fourth season with the Bengals. He's scheduled to make $1 million in base salary this season and $4.86 million overall, but general manager Mike Brown didn't make it sound imminent that an agreement on an extension would be reached this week. The 24-year-old superstar wideout remains a consensus top-five pick in fantasy drafts this summer, and it's not time to adjust his ADP for this development quite yet. Last year, Chase closed as the WR11 overall in full-PPR fantasy points per game (16.4) over 16 appearances for Cincinnati.
Ja'Marr Chase Unlikely To Reach Extension This Season
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has been one of the best players at his position since entering the NFL as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The LSU product has the seventh-most receiving yards (3,717) in a player's first three seasons of all time and is part of one of the best QB-WR pairings in the league. With Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jaylen Waddle, among others receiving lucrative contract extensions this offseason, Chase was thought to be next in line. However, Bengals president Mike Brown suggested Chase is unlikely to be re-signed before the start of the regular season. "It's not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate," Brown said. "The offseason is a better time for that and we're going to try to keep focused on the football part. I'm not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you that the die has probably been cast." However, Brown said the team has every intention to keep him in Cincinnati long-term. "He's a key player next to Joe [Burrow]," Brown said. "He's our next one. He knows that. We know it. This may take a while. We are going to bend over backward to get it done. I can't tell you when." Either way, Chase has overall WR1 upside in fantasy football as long as Burrow remains healthy.
Ja'Marr Chase May Not Get Extension Until Next Year
The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. expects the Cincinnati Bengals to eventually give star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase a lucrative long-term contract extension, but it more than likely won't come until the summer of 2025. The Bengals can begin negotiations with Chase now that the Vikings locked up star wideout Justin Jefferson. Chase is extension-eligible entering his fourth NFL season in 2024. The Bengals exercised his fifth-year option for 2025, and their organizational approach with big contracts has been to wait out the negotiations. However, locking Chase in now could ease tension in a receiver room that already felt plenty of it with Tee Higgins. Contract aside, Chase is Cincy's clear No. 1 wideout and is a no-doubt top-five fantasy wideout.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase wasn't fully participating in practice at mandatory minicamp for the second straight day on Wednesday and was in tennis shoes with no helmet on, but he did take part in the install portion on both days. Chase didn't take part in 7-on-7 drills on Tuesday. The 24-year-old is seeking a long-term extension from the club, and while he is in attendance so he won't get fined, it appears he's not doing much on the field. Barring a surprise development, the Bengals and Chase should be able to eventually work something out to keep him in Cincinnati for the long haul. The former fifth overall pick in 2021 out of LSU has been a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons in the NFL and has gone over 1,000 receiving yards in all three years as well with a combined 29 touchdowns in 45 regular-season starts. Chase is an easy top-five fantasy wideout.
Ja'Marr Chase Unlikely To Get Extension Anytime Soon
According to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase isn't expected to be offered a contract extension in the near future. With Justin Jefferson agreeing to a market-altering deal on Monday, Chase and his next contract are the next hot topic of discussion. However, with the Bengals notoriously known for waiting before securing their stars with new deals, Chase may not get an offer on an extension until the summer of 2025. Without question, the former LSU Tiger is worthy of a massive payday. He's appeared in 45 games for the Bengals since being selected with the No. 5 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, accumulating 268 catches for 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns. As such, Chase will be a first-round fantasy option heading into the 2024-25 campaign with or without a new contract. But he's battled injuries over the years, which fantasy managers may need to deal with throughout the season.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase wasn't present for voluntary organized team activities on Tuesday. Chase is heading into the fourth year of his rookie deal after the team picked up his fifth-year option for the 2025 season back in April. The 24-year-old is slated to make $5 million in 2024 and remains one of the best all-around receivers in the game. His absence during voluntary offseason workouts shouldn't raise too many eyebrows, although it would be nice to see him working with quarterback Joe Burrow after Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury in 2023. Chase is unlikely to stage a long holdout into mandatory minicamp next month and training camp this summer, and he and the Bengals should eventually work out something long term that should make him one of, if not the highest, paid receiver in the NFL.
The Cincinnati Bengals exercised the fifth-year option for wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase on Wednesday, as expected. Chase is now officially locked up through the 2025 season. The 24-year-old former fifth overall pick in 2021 out of LSU has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in the NFL and set a career-high with 100 catches on 145 targets for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games in 2023, despite the fact that quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) missed considerable time with a season-ending injury. Chase's seven touchdowns in 2023 were a career-low, but he should bounce back in that department in 2024 as long as Burrow can stay healthy all year. Chase's fantasy arrow continues to point up and he should be considered a top-tier WR1.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase finished the Week 18 win over the Browns by catching four of six targets for 19 yards. The Bengals had nothing to play for but pride on Sunday, and with Chase battling a shoulder injury over the last few weeks, the team didn't want to take any chances with their superstar wideout. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old capped off another strong year, finishing with 100 catches for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. But with Chase entering his fourth season in the league, contract rumblings will run rampant until he signs a new deal. Yet, regardless of how talks pan out moving forward, he'll remain a first-round fantasy option heading into the 2024-25 campaign. He'll need Joe Burrow (wrist) to stay healthy if he hopes to come close to capturing the magic he had on the offensive end as a rookie.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) logged a full practice on Friday and was removed from the injury report ahead of the Week 18 matchup with the Browns. The wideout had a monster performance in the Week 13 win over Jacksonville, catching 11 of 12 targets for 149 yards and a touchdown. However, he's fizzed since then, amassing just 10 grabs for 134 yards and no touchdowns. Chase also has battled a shoulder injury, keeping him out of the lineup for the Week 16 AFC North clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But all things considered, the former LSU Tiger can always have a productive fantasy showing whenever he's on the field. Unfortunately, the Bengals were eliminated from postseason contention after losing to the Chiefs in Week 17, so there's a chance Chase won't play a full 60 minutes.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) was upgraded to a full practice participant on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. Chase missed Week 16 with a separated shoulder but returned for the Week 17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and caught only three of his seven targets for 41 yards. Even though the Bengals have nothing to play for in Week 18 against the Cleveland Browns, Chase plans to play on Sunday, and he could see even more looks from quarterback Jake Browning with Tee Higgins (hamstring) looking unlikely to play. The 23-year-old will likely cost a pretty penny in DFS with the Browns resting key players as he looks to bounce back from a 10-134-0 line the last two weeks. In the Week 1 meeting against the Browns, Chase underwhelmed to the tune of five catches for 39 yards on nine targets.
