The Cincinnati Bengals locker room, at least based on comments from one of its core leaders, is doing just fine amid the contract saga between the team and star wideout Ja’Marr Chase.
Speaking with reporters after the now-infamous practice in which Chase showed back up as inactive and in street clothes, center Ted Karras said all is well.
“I think it’s been handled fantastically,” Karras said, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia. “I understand the business aspect of it. There’s absolutely zero hard feelings among any players.”
From an outsider’s perspective, things have mostly been just fine between Chase and the Bengals while the two sides work on an extension.
Chase, minus one day, was at every training camp practice during his “hold-in” and ramped back up to practice this past week before then sitting out on Wednesday after comments from head coach Zac Taylor about his status.
The fact Chase reverted to a non-participant and the fact he’s seeking an extension with two years left on his deal caused some speculation from outsiders.
But based on Karras’ comments, everyone around the ordeal understands the back-and-forth leverage plays that happen around these top-of-market extensions.
Granted, we’ll have to see what happens when practice ramps up before Week 1 next week. But for now, these are the expected choppy waters during this type of situation.
