Speaking to reporters in one of his rare press availabilities, Bengals owner Mike Brown said they plan to try to extend WR Ja’Marr Chase on a long-term deal at some point.
“Our intention is to keep Ja’Marr Chase,” Brown said via Kelsey Conway.
Brown added preserving the duo of Chase and QB Joe Burrow is important, with Burrow being priority 1 and Chase priority 2 for the organization. He said they will “try hard” to keep Chase and Burrow, teammates since college, together going forward.
It’s a strong statement by the Bengals, but also maybe not as unequivocal as expected about the chances of keeping Chase.
The former first-round receiver is eligible for a long-term deal for the first time this offseason after playing three seasons. The Vikings’ deal for WR Justin Jefferson — another former LSU teammate — seemingly sets the stage for Chase and the Bengals to work something out.
But Chase is also under contract for two more seasons, so this could take some time to come together.
Chase, 24, was a two-year starter at LSU and a unanimous All-American during his sophomore season. He opted out of the 2020 college football season due to the pandemic. The Bengals took Chase with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Chase is in the fourth year of a four-year, $30,819,642 contract with the Bengals that included a $19,774,285 signing bonus. The Bengals picked up a fifth-year option on him worth $21.816 million fully guaranteed for the 2025 season.
In 2023, Chase appeared in 16 games for the Bengals and caught 100 passes on 145 targets for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns.
We’ll have more on the Bengals and Chase as the news is available.
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