An NFL offseason defined by landmark contract extensions and dramatic holdouts among the top tier of NFL wide receivers may continue the theme into the season.
Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase showed up late to practice Wednesday in street clothes and did not work out with the rest of the team as the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft angles for a new contract. His actions came after Bengals coach Zac Taylor told media members Tuesday that he expected Chase to be a full participant in the following day’s practice.
“I think I probably put my foot in my mouth speaking too quickly,” Taylor told reporters Wednesday. “This is a day-to-day situation. We’ll just keep seeing it as that.”
Taylor then refused to state whether he expected Chase to play in the Bengals’ season opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 8.
“This is all part of that plan that we’ve talked about,” Taylor said. “So this is just the later stages of that plan, but I think it’s wise for me just to say we’re going to take it day-to-day and see what tomorrow brings.”
Chase is angling for a deal similar to what his former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson got from the Minnesota Vikings earlier this summer — a four-year contract worth up to $140 million that makes Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The Dallas Cowboys nearly matched that by signing CeeDee Lamb to a four-year extension worth up to $136 million earlier this week.
Chase has practiced intermittently throughout training camp during a “hold-in” in which he remains around the team but not as a consistent full participant in training camp. Discussions with the team remain ongoing as Chase reportedly wants to match or even exceed Jefferson’s deal.
“We’ll keep working through it,” Taylor said. “Ja’Marr is a great dude that means a lot to this team. … We look forward to getting him back, hopefully at some point soon.”
The 24-year-old Chase has logged at least 1,000 receiving yards and a Pro Bowl appearance in each of his three NFL seasons. His emergence as a rookie helped the Bengals on a surprise run to the Super Bowl that year and earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Chase has 3,717 receiving yards and 29 touchdown catches in his career.
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