The Cincinnati Bengals inability to come to an agreement on a contract extension with star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase prior to the current campaign continues to look worse and worse, both from a fan perspective and also from a financial one.
Ja'Marr Chase named to fourth consecutive Pro Bowl to start his career
Chase was just named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl for the 2024 season after putting up video game numbers all year. On the season, Chase is leading all receivers in receptions (117), yards (1,612) and touchdowns (16). Chase has now made the Pro Bowl in all four of his professional seasons in Cincinnati, and his market value has only gone up as a result. He's just the second player in Bengals history to make the Pro Bowl four straight times to begin his career. Wide receiver A.J. Green was the first.
Perhaps if Chase had a down year in '24 the Bengals could have saved some money on a deal, but instead the opposite occurred. Chase played like the best receiver in the world all year long, and now he's understandably going to want to be paid like it.
To make matters even more complicated for the Bengals, fellow star receiver Tee Higgins will also be in line for a sizable new contract over the offseason, and quarterback Joe Burrow continues to publicly pressure the front office to get a deal done with Higgins.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Bengals will be able to agree on extensions with both Chase and Higgins, but it's clear that losing either one of those guys would be a big blow to the offense. Keeping the trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins together should be a priority for Cincinnati, but doing so may be easier said than done.
In addition to Chase, two other Bengals players were also named to the Pro Bowl: Quarterback Joe Burrow and defensive end Trey Hendrickson. It was the second selection for Burrow in his career and the fourth for Hendrickson.