What The Jefferson Deal Means For Ja’Marr Chase And the Bengals
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
With Justin Jefferson signing a record deal for a non-quarterback with the Minnesota Vikings, the pressure is now on the Cincinnati Bengals to get a deal done with their superstar Ja’Marr Chase.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the deal for Jefferson has $110 million in guarantees and could be worth up to $140 million. All reports this offseason suggested that Chase and his camp were waiting for the Jefferson deal to get done to approach the table to try and work out a deal with the Bengals.
Chase might not be pushing to get a deal done tomorrow, and the Bengals might not be in a huge rush, just because of the difference between the two contracts. Jefferson was set to be heading into his last season under contract, while Chase still has two years left.
The Bengals also have Joe Burrow to pay, and when they do pay Chase, it could really limit other free agents. Even though that is going to be a problem, they will have to figure it out down the road. The Bengals need to try to get the contract done as soon as possible.
The Vikings couldn’t get an extension done before the last offseason, and it cost them a good chunk of change each year during the extension. If the Bengals were to wait until after this season to try and get a contract done, it’s only going to get more expensive. The money is going to have to get paid, the contract isn’t going to end up cheaper at some point magically.
A few weeks ago, when Chase was asked about the contract extension, he didn’t seem too interested in discussing it.
“It’s too much for me to think about. Right now I just have to worry about getting better at the game, making sure I’m ready when they do call me and when I do go back.”
When asked if conversations had started, Chase gave a bit of a smart response back.
“I’m not on the phone, so I don’t know what’s being talked about at the moment. So, I can’t say yes or no.”
Back in January of 2023, Chase made it clear that he wanted to stay with Burrow long term in Cincinnati.
“I need to be here, too,” Chase said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Yeah, man. Keep this going. Try to get as many AFC championships as we can get. Make it to the Super Bowl as many times as possible. Me and him, we’re like bread and butter. As long as he’s got me and I’ve got him I should be here for a good time.”
Last season, Chase dealt with some injuries but still managed to catch 100 passes for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. He and Jefferson have proven over the last couple of seasons that they are two of the top wideouts in the league. It doesn’t seem to matter how many defenders try to cover him, Chase is a matchup nightmare all over the field.
The Jefferson contract is key for Chase, but it could actually mean more to Tee Higgins and the Bengals. Higgins isn’t going to get a deal like Jefferson received, but he’s still going to require a big extension, and if even more money goes to Chase, that is less money that could go to Higgins. The Bengals haven’t seemed too interested in discussing the idea of trading away Higgins, but it might be time for the team to consider that now. The Bengals could probably get a pretty big haul in return for Higgins, especially if that team has a long-term deal worked out with him. There is only so much money to go around, so it makes even more sense to get the deal done with Chase now.
The quicker the deal is done, the longer the Bengals have to figure out how long to make the salary cap work with the rest of the team. Some tough decisions will need to be made in the next few years with these big contracts being handed out, but this one is an easy one: Pay Chase his money. If they don’t, it could end up being one of the biggest mistakes in franchise history.
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