Projecting Ja'Marr Chase's Bengals contract extension after CeeDee Lamb deal

While the Cincinnati Bengals deal with wide receiver situations of their own, the Dallas Cowboys were able to clear their mind with their star quarterback, CeeDee Lamb. Lamb and the Cowboys agreed to a four-year, $136 million extension to make him the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.

There are obvious implications for the Bengals as it helps set the stage for star wideout Ja'Marr Chase. Chase is one of few wide receivers who is on the same level as Lamb so there is no doubt that his camp was keeping a close eye on how Lamb's situation played out.

Chase was not practicing with the Bengals as he was hoping to work out a new deal but the star wideout ultimately returned to practice prior to Lamb signing his new deal. Now that Chase is back, and the Bengals have the framework for a potential deal, we can start projecting what it will look like.

Projected Ja'Marr Chase's contract extension: four years, $144 million, $115 million guaranteed

After Lamb secured a deal that pays him just $1 million less per season than Justin Jefferson, who currently has the highest non-quarterback contract in league history, it is clear that Chase's camp is going to look to reset the market.

This is how contract extensions work in today's sports world. Just like how Joe Burrow was paid more than Justin Herbert, Chase will benefit from signing after both Jefferson and Lamb because of the bar they set.

Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million deal with $110 million guaranteed. At $144 million, Chase would be making $1 million more per season and his $115 million guaranteed comes in at a slightly higher percent of his total deal than Jefferson's deal.

As far as wide receivers go, there will not be any other marquee wideouts who are in the same ballpark that will have an impact on Chase's deal. Sure, Brandon Aiyuk is looking for a new deal but it would be silly for a team to pay him Lamb and Jefferson money.

Thus, it is up to Chase to reset the market and both sides have plenty of time to get this done. Chase is essentially one year behind Lamb as he was drafted a year later. With that in mind, Bengals fans may need to prepare for a similar timeline.

It might not happen until next August but Chase should set the all-time record for the largest non-quarterback contract in NFL history. If the Bengals offer him anything less than that, he will likely be looking for a new team.