The Cincinnati Bengals have a reputation of being cheap, and that’s not necessarily fair anymore.
The Bengals have signed some expensive free agents. They signed Joe Burrow to a contract that set the NFL record at $55 million per year (it has been tied by Trevor Lawrence’s deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars). The old trope that the Bengals won’t spend money hasn’t been accurate for a while.
Still, there’s another test on the Bengals’ table. Receiver Ja’Marr Chase, one of the best players in the NFL, is entering his fourth NFL season. That means he’s got just two years left on his rookie deal and wants and extension.
Bengals owner Mike Brown addressed that with the Cincinnati media and said the team will “try hard” to extend Chase. The Bengals better to more than just give it their all.
Brown’s “try hard” comment wouldn’t be a talking point with most other NFL owners, but the Bengals still have the stigma of being cheap. Brown said the Bengals intend to extend Chase and that’s their priority, but Bengals fans still want to see it get done.
Mike Brown said they are going to “try hard” to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow playing together, reiterated that Joe and Ja’Marr are priority No. 1 and 2 for this team right now
“Our intention is to keep Ja’Marr Chase.”
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) July 22, 2024
Brown told the media that he wanted a deal done by now but it hasn’t happened yet. That’s understandable. The cost for Chase isn’t cheap. Justin Jefferson just got a four-year, $140 million deal, and his $35 million per year extension reset the market. Chase isn’t quite to the level of Jefferson but he’s close and presumably wants a similar deal. It’s the Bengals’ priority to get something done.
“We are going to bend over backwards to make it happen,” Brown said, via Olivia Ray of WLWT. “I can’t tell you when it’s going to get done.”
They better get it done, if they want to keep distancing themselves from the notion that they won’t spend on their top players.
When will Chase be signed?
Chase was the fifth pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and has lived up to his prospect status. He has three 1,000-yard seasons including a 1,455-yard, 13-touchdown rookie season. Chase won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season. He is undeniably one of the NFL’s best.
It will be a challenge for the Bengals to pay Burrow and Chase together, but Cincinnati has to find a way. And that will likely happen. The Bengals have clearly anticipated Chase’s extension. One big reason the team hasn’t signed Tee Higgins to a long-term extension is it might be too difficult to have Burrow, Chase and Higgins on long-term deals (although the Philadelphia Eagles are doing it with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith). Higgins is on a one-year franchise tag and seems likely to hit free agency in 2025,
Let’s assume the deal gets done and Brown’s “try hard” tone is just indicating that it’s in the process and not preparing Bengals fans for the possibility Chase’s new deal doesn’t get done.
There are a few unresolved contractual issues around the NFL as training camps start, and Chase’s upcoming contract is one of them. The Bengals are on the clock to get it done.
