Ja’Marr Chase feels like the Cincinnati Bengals outright “misled” him during contract talks over the summer.
And he’s doing something about it, too.
Chase isn’t holding out of regular season games, no. But he’s using every last little bit of leverage he has to show the team he’s serious.
That means no more contract talks during the season and, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chase has made a measured move to protect himself:
To reinforce his word and strengthen his position, Chase also has taken out a $50 million insurance policy on himself for this season to safeguard against injury and any potential lost earnings. As one source said about Chase, with the insurance policy in place, “He’s good.”
Translation: Chase is going to keep playing and get back to seeking that major contract extension after the season.
That is unless something historically dramatic changes from the team’s side. But the report says that, as we already expected, guarantees and structure of payouts were major issues during contract talks.
This means the pricetag paid by the Bengals will jump even higher next summer. But Chase was seeking an extension with two years left on his rookie deal.
The standoff made sense. Every big name in front of Chase that needed to reset the wideout market did, hence his asking. Long-term security against injury is important and the chance to get another extension earlier in his prime is a no-brainer. From the team’s perspective, Chase has two years left on his deal, then potentially multiple years of franchise tag leverage if necessary.
That’s not even pointing a finger at either side. The team offered an annual number over Justin Jefferson’s, per Schefter. But they made an offer within how they do business and Chase rightfully balked.
So things stand still here. Chase has some huge injury protections in place now that also show the team he’s serious. And unless the Bengals want to historically break character, this is how things will pause until after the season.
