Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor informed reporters on Tuesday that star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase would continue to practice as a full participant all week, despite his ongoing contract "hold-in."
That, ultimately, did not prove to be true. On Wednesday, Chase reportedly arrived to the team's practice 13 minutes late wearing his street clothes and was not a participant in the session, according to multiple reports.
Chase was thought to have ended his "hold-in" by returning to practice on Sunday, but it seems his weekend appearance wasn't a sign of things to come.
The 24-year-old has two years remaining on his current contract, so the organization may not feel as much pressure to get a deal done before the 2024 season. He'll collect a base salary of $1.055 million and a roster bonus of $3.807 million this season. Next year, he's due to earn $21.816 million under the fifth-year option of his rookie deal.
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase is not practicing today, one day after coach Zac Taylor said he’d be a full participant all week. pic.twitter.com/QmCfhOYpRq
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) August 28, 2024
CeeDee Lamb reset the market with his new $136 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys, and Chase is hopeful that contract will expedite his own situation and that he'll be next in line at the position to get a lucrative new deal.
It seems as if the two sides will continue negotiating leading up to Cincinnati's season opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 8, though it's unclear if Chase would be willing to extend his holdout into the regular season if he's still without a new contract.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ja'Marr Chase Not Practicing for Bengals One Day After Zac Taylor Claimed He Would.
