Ja’Marr Chase finds himself in the same position as some of the other top, young wide receivers around the NFL.
In a holding pattern.
At the league’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, Cincinnati Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn told reporters the team has not started discussions with Chase regarding a contract extension. Chase, who has reached the Pro Bowl in each of his first three NFL seasons, is eligible for an extension.
It remains to be seen when any movement on those talks is going to occur.
“I can’t say for sure where any of it will go,” Blackburn said, according to an article published by the Cincinnati Enquirer on Wednesday. “But we certainly are going to study up on it and see what we can figure out to try to get the best result we can for the club one way or another.”
Chase and teammate Tee Higgins are both trying to secure long-term extensions. Higgins, who was drafted in 2020, one year before Chase, was given the franchise tag in February. The former second-round pick out of Clemson has requested a trade.
Both players have been very productive for an offense led by quarterback Joe Burrow. Since the start of the 2020 season, each player ranks in the top 20 in receiving yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Chase is sixth in yards per game during that span (82.6).
At this week’s meetings, Blackburn reiterated how much the team values both players as it continues to build around Burrow and the $275 million contract extension that he signed last season. According to OverTheCap.com, Burrow’s salary cap charge of $29.7 million for 2024 is worth 11.2% of the team’s overall cap space.
“We like these guys,” Blackburn said, according to the team’s website. “We have to work within the salary cap. So we have to figure out what that will mean, and how it can all stay together. That’s just what we have to work on and see where it takes us.”
This offseason has featured notable deals for a few wide receivers, but a lack of extensions for some of the top ones on rookie contracts.
Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr., who was initially on the franchise tag, signed a three-year deal worth $70 million. However, the annual average salary ranks only eighth among current wide receivers, according to data from OverTheCap.com.
Like Chase and Higgins, Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk and Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb are all receivers who have at least 3,500 receiving yards since the start of 2020 and are eligible for extensions.
49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters in Orlando this week that the team is looking to work out a deal with Aiyuk.
“We’re actively talking with Brandon trying to figure something out,” Lynch said. “We have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done to get something done, and it takes two sides. So, can we do that? We’ll see.”
Jefferson is the top of that group with 5,899 yards during that span, trailing only Miami’s Tyreek Hill (6,024).
Hill’s deal with the Dolphins in 2022 still serves as the best one in the league for a wide receiver. His four-year contract with Miami has the highest average annual value at $30 million a year and is second in guaranteed money ($72.2 million) and total value ($120 million).
Before the Bengals faced the Vikings on Dec. 16, Chase said he needed to see what Jefferson’s contract looked like and indicated that he wanted to be near or at the top of the market.
“I don’t know nothing about what’s going to happen yet until [signs],” Chase said in December. “I need to see more numbers from him.
“Tyreek Hill got us there. But he’s going to get me there, too.”
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