The Cincinnati Bengals say they're prepared to make star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history this offseason.
"He [Chase] is going to end up being the number one paid non-quarterback in the league," Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We're there. let's get it done."
Tobin even emphasized the importance of getting such a deal done early. as opposed to waiting until later in the offseason.
"The earlier we can do some of this stuff, the freer it gives us to build the rest of the team," Tobin said. "We have other needs that we want to build, and so we want to get these kind of things done early enough to where we can really focus on building out the rest of the football team."
Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals reportedly far apart on contract extension talks
But with free agency approaching, it doesn't sound like an agreement is imminent, as the two sides "remain far apart in talks for now," according to Diana Russini of The Athletic. Russini noted that an offer has been made, but perhaps it wasn't an offer that Chase is comfortable with.
This isn't reason to panic for Bengals fans. There really isn't much of a rush to get a deal done, as the sides technically have the entirety of the offseason to do so. But, this isn't a situation that the Bengals should want to linger, again. It would be better to get the deal out of the way so that they can focus on other key areas of need, as Tobin noted.
Chase still has one year remaining on his current contract, so the Bengals aren't endanger of losing him this offseason. Tee Higgins is a different story, though. Higgins will become an unrestricted free agent if he isn't placed under the franchise tag for a second consecutive season. So, it's possible, even likely, that the Bengals will look to figure things out with Higgins first and then move on to Chase.
Either way, Chase getting a record-setting extension from Cincinnati this offseason seems like a foregone conclusion. It's just a matter of when, not if.