Ja'Marr Chase makes bold claim about Justin Jefferson during Bengals contract talks

Even with two more years left on his contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, star wideout Ja'Marr Chase has been doing everything he can to get a record-setting extension before the 2024 season. As one of the best wide receivers in the entire league, Chase is leveraging the Bengals' finite Super Bowl window to get paid sooner rather than later.

It looks like Chase's efforts are working as there are increasingly positive signs about a contract getting done before the Bengals' season opener on Sunday. It will be best for all parties involved to not let this bleed into the regular season.

While discussing what Chase's potential deal may look like, many have pointed to Justin Jefferson's deal as the benchmark. Chase is undoubtedly looking to reset the market and get a contract that is larger than the deal Jefferson signed earlier this year.

Jefferson recently supported his former LSU teammate saying he hoped Chase got the contract he was looking for. Reports indicated that Chase wanted to usurp Jefferson, even if was just by a penny, and that may have been downselling the situation. Chase made it clear on Friday that he wants to beat Jefferson's deal by much more than a penny.

"I want to beat Justin. I want to beat the S*** out of Justin. Not by a penny, brother. "

Ja'Marr Chase makes it clear how much he wants to be paid by the Bengals

Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million extension with $110 million guaranteed earlier this year. Before this quote, it seemed like Chase would ask for something that was only marginally higher, perhaps a four-year deal worth $144 million that would pay him $1 million more per year.

But after this quote, it is clear that Chase is looking to send a message to the rest of the league with his new contract (which might be why this is taking so long in the first place). Where exactly that number falls will remain to be seen, but at this rate, a contract worth $150 million cannot be ruled out for the Bengals star.

A $150 million deal would pay Chase $2.5 million more per year than Jefferson is making and it would likely come with a guarantee that is $8-10 million higher. That would certainly send a statement and would make Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history for quite some time.

In the grand scheme of things, this would be good not only for Chase but for every other wide receiver in the league as well. This only pushes the market price higher and the next superstar receiver who is due for a payday will be able to aim for an even higher number as a result.

Regardless of what the contract figure actually turns out to be, one thing is for certain: the Bengals need to hurry up and get a deal done before it is too late.