Is Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase’s contract dispute on the verge of going nuclear?

On so many levels, Ja’Marr Chase isn’t getting the respect he deserves.

Let’s start with his contract, which is where his focus is fixed. Chase is in the final year of his rookie contract, and while there is absolutely zero question over whether he’s one of the league’s best receivers, the Cincinnati Bengals have failed to deliver an extension that compensates him properly.

And that’s where the second level of disrespect comes in: It feels like we haven’t been talking enough about Chase. Not until Wednesday when things hit that-escalated-quickly level of dysfunction. Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters Chase would be on the practice field to participate. He wasn’t. He showed up late — and in shorts and a T-shirt.

“I probably put my foot in my mouth speaking too quickly,” Taylor said after practice.

Oops. 

And also — yikes.

We’ve spent the summer talking about San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, in part because he’s such a key cog in the Brock Purdy-led offense. Aiyuk also made headlines when he demanded a trade. (That trade demand led to a dramatic saga of will-he, won’t-he. Though the 49ers and Steelers have — or had? — a deal in place, Aiyuk remains in San Francisco.) It was pretty simple: Aiyuk was more interesting than Chase, even if he isn’t the better player.

But maybe now that real football is on the horizon, it’s time to shift our focus to a situation that might just be spiraling out of control.

Chase is as important to Joe Burrow’s comeback efforts as anyone. (Burrow is returning from a season-ending wrist injury in 2023.) And that means Chase is as important to the Bengals’ Super Bowl ambitions as anyone not named Burrrow.

“[Chase] is a key player,” owner Mike Brown told reporters before training camp. “Next to Joe [Burrow], he is the next one. He knows it. We know it. This may take a while. We are going to bend over backwards to get it done.”

Looks like you’re not bending far enough, Mr. Brown.

The good news is that the CeeDee Lamb deal could help grease the gears of negotiations. It seemed like the Justin Jefferson deal was actually log-jamming the market. Players wanted what Jefferson was getting, but he was in a unique position of power with the Minnesota Vikings, who now have one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL. They needed to pay Jefferson to stay happy. The Cowboys, 49ers and Bengals don’t have that same problem.

Chase will likely want to reset the market and make more than Jefferson. But he can take solace in the fact that not even Lamb did that — not even after the Cowboys star finished second in receiving yards (1,749) and receiving touchdowns (12). That’s a level of production Chase hasn’t hit, with his career-best season coming in 2021 when he had 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns.

So it’s possible Chase and the Bengals can look at Lamb’s deal as a framework: four years, $136 million total, $110 guaranteed.

Whatever the terms end up being, Chase needs to get paid. The Bengals need him on the practice field, because every minute they waste is likely to cut into Chase’s productivity to start the season. There’s the common adage that holdout players are more likely to get injured. Whether that’s statistically true or not, Chase will be a step behind his peers who have spent the past month getting into football shape. Most former NFL players will tell you that genuinely matters.

That’s not the only potential negative outcome for the Bengals. The longer they wait, the more they’re likely to have to pay. It’s not like the receiver market is going to dip. Chase is almost definitely going to put up equal or better numbers to what he did in 2023 (100 catches, 1,1216 yards, seven touchdowns). Receivers are going to keep getting paid more between now and next offseason. 

Again, Chase just needs to get paid — now.

NFL teams seem to have miscalculated how much power they have, now that players are holding in. Typically, Aiyuk and Chase would have incurred major fines by now. But they’re not down a huge chunk of cash, like Haason Reddick, for example, whom the Jets can fine nearly $2 million for missing training camp. No, Chase and Aiyuk aren’t in a financial hole. There was no real recourse for the teams trying to get these players back on the field.

Until now. This is when it gets real, folks.

This is when the Bengals have to decide whether to start going after Chase, as laid out by former NFL agent Joel Corry. If he elects to practice when and where he pleases, they need to start with a written warning that he’s committing conduct detrimental to the team. And then they can impose fines. If Chase misses the season opener, the Bengals could take their strongest course of action: a fine of a week’s salary ($293,056 for Chase) along with a four-week suspension. That would mean $1.055 million in fines and lost wages. 

But just as important: that would mean a Bengals offense without Chase for five weeks. As crazy as it sounds, Cincinnati’s punishment would hurt their playoff hopes more than it would hurt Chase’s wallet.

That’s the nuclear option. It doesn’t feel like that’s where things are headed — yet.

But perhaps we’ve underestimated how far Chase can take this. Perhaps we’ve lost sight of how important he is to the playoff picture. And perhaps that’s why Chase’s dispute hasn’t come to a resolution. 

The Bengals can afford to pay Chase. They can’t afford to field a team without him. The situation isn’t that complicated.

Prior to joining FOX Sports, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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