NFL reporter predicts when the Bengals might extend Ja'Marr Chase

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is widely expected to receive a massive contract extension from the Cincinnati Bengals sometime in the near future. The question is when that extension will come.

Chase should be in line for a similar deal to the one that Justin Jefferson got with the Minnesota Vikings ($140 million over four years), and the Bengals pass-catcher actually wanted to wait for Jefferson to sign his deal and reset the market before putting pen to paper.

"Hell yeah," Chase replied earlier this year when asked if Jefferson's negotiations would impact his own.

Predicting when Chase will get the bag

Now that Jefferson has signed his contract, we have a much better idea of what kind of deal Chase is likely seeking. But when will it come? The Bengals technically don't have to extend Chase this offseason, as he still has years remaining on his rookie deal, so the decision could potentially be delayed until next offseason.

But, in a recent mailbag, NFL reporter Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated predicted that a deal will come for Chase shortly before the start of the regular season. The Bengals open up the 2024 campaign against the New England Patriots on Sept. 8.

From Breer:

"I think it’ll happen close to the opener. I actually don’t think the money is too complicated—Cincinnati should just give him a little more than Justin Jefferson got in Minnesota (especially with an extra year left on his rookie contract to manage the damage).

"What is a little tricky, if you’re willing to go there, to around $36 million or $37 million per year, is how you structure the deal and its guarantees. So that’ll take some time. . . But in the end, Chase isn’t going anywhere."

Chase is absolutely part of the organization's long-term plans, that much is clear. So, the argument could be made that they should lock him up as quickly as possible to keep him happy. It will be interesting to see if Jefferson's contract expedites Chase's own situation and if a deal ends up getting done this offseason.