The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t trading Ja’Marr Chase.
That big disclaimer out of the way, the NFL world is currently busy at work wondering how the Bengals might be able to re-open the Super Bowl window that was slammed shut after this year’s 4-8 start.
In doing so, Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame suggested the Bengals emulate the Kansas City Chiefs when that franchise traded away Tyreek Hill and got first-, second-, and fourth-round picks that year while avoiding paying up on a big contract.
Verderame spoke with anonymous NFL personnel on the topic of similar compensation for Chase.
“I would think so,” one NFC talent evaluator said. “He’s a better overall player and I would guess less baggage and younger at the time of the trade.”
It’s all a moot point, though. Chase would command the same or more compensation in a trade, just as he’ll reset the market on his deal this upcoming offseason.
The Bengals hurt themselves badly this past offseason by not paying Chase, a messy situation that bled into this year. Chase felt misled by the team, and his agent has taken public victory laps over his performance (1,142 yards and 13 touchdowns over 12 games), dramatically boosting his asking price.
And while it’s true the Bengals need to find ways to also pay guys like Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson, there are plenty of ways to create more cap space via cuts.
If the Bengals do anything out of character like this, it would be applying a second consecutive franchise tag on Higgins, which could perhaps then lead to a tag-and-trade scenario. That would be one way to stockpile assets and reload on the defensive side of the football.
The Bengals entertaining a deal like the one the Chiefs did with Hill might work on 31 other teams. But not in Cincinnati, where the Joe Burrow-Chase dynamic is unique. And moving a star offensive player to rebuild the defense sounds good…until one realizes just how many droves of assets the team has poured into the defense over the last few years, only for it to be a colossal failure.
Meaning: Big changes are coming. But trading Chase won’t be considered for even a second.