The Cincinnati Bengals were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension with Ja'Marr Chase last offseason, but don't expect that to be the case again this year. While speaking with Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin sent a clear message regarding Chase's extension.
Duke Tobin says getting an extension done with Ja'Marr Chase is a 'priority' for the Bengals
“It's a priority for us,” Tobin said. “It's something we feel like there's a framework to work off of. Should be a pretty easy framework to work off of. Guys in his position have recently re-done contracts. We believe in Ja’Marr, he's very important to us.
"The other guys that have done contracts are very important to their teams. So, we believe there's a real framework to work off of. I would expect that we could come together on something that makes sense for both sides.”
Better late than never, as they say, but the Bengals likely cost themselves a lot of money by failing to agree on an extension last year. Instead of sulking about his lack of long-term security, Chase went out and put himself in the best possible position moving forward by turning in one of the best seasons by a wide receiver in recent memory in 2024.
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Chase achieved the vaunted Triple Crown by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. He was named a finalist for the AP Offensive Player of the Year award as a result of his productive play. His season was so good that it's even being recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Chase obviously boosted his own value in a major way with his monster season, and now he'll have all of the leverage at the negotiating table with Cincinnati. Last offseason, Spotrac provided a projection for an extension for Chase that came in at $120 million over four years, with an average annual value of $30 million. It also included $46 million guaranteed at signing and $70 million partially guaranteed.
This year, Spotrac provided an updated projection that accounts for Chase's historic season and the rise in the cap. The new projection comes in at $145 million over four years, with a whopping $100 million guaranteed. That's a difference of $25 million in total money and $54 million in fully-guaranteed money.
Will the Bengals match that number? That remains to be seen, but in order to keep Chase in Cincinnati long-term, they're going to have to pay top dollar, and it certainly sounds like they're prepared to do so.