CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase wasn't at practice on Tuesday.
That may not surprise some—especially those that know he hasn't participated in practice since July 24 when training camp opened—but it is a major change.
Tuesday was the first session Chase didn't attend in person.
Head coach Zac Taylor shared a brief and vague comment after the practice.
"Day-to-day, we'll take it one day at a time," Taylor said.
It doesn't feel like a contract extension is imminent. That doesn't mean things won't change in a hurry, but Chase wasn't finishing up the details on his new deal during Tuesday's practice.
So what's next?
Well, we're currently witnessing a staring contest between Chase and the Bengals.
He clearly wants a new contract now that the wide receiver market has been set. The Bengals are open to the idea of getting something done with Chase, but they're comfortable waiting until next offseason too.
Who blinks first?
With Jessie Bates, Tee Higgins and even Trey Hendrickson—it was pretty clear that the player was going to give in, show up and play on their current contract.
Is Chase in the same boat? He has two years left on his contract—the final year of his rookie deal and a fifth-year option that the Bengals exercised earlier this offseason worth $21.8 million for the 2025 season.
Justin Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Vikings this offseason that includes $88.7 million in fully guaranteed money. AJ Brown signed a three-year extension worth $96 million with the Eagles.
Chase is probably looking for a three-year extension worth $100+ million with roughly 65% of it fully guaranteed.
The Bengals are probably hoping to wait until next year OR sign Chase to a four-year extension. That would put him under contract for the next six seasons, which would not only align with Joe Burrow's current deal, but it would allow them to spread out the money over another season.
That's the play the Bengals should make if they're hoping to reach an agreement with Chase this offseason. He loves it in Cincinnati and obviously wants to keep playing with Burrow.
Could they use that in negotiations—not to get a "team-friendly" discount, but to get Chase to sign a four-year extension one year sooner than Jefferson did in Minnesota?
That would be a huge benefit to the team. They could spread the money out over the next six seasons. Of course, guaranteed money is probably a big factor in negotiations.
The Bengals aren't known for giving out guaranteed money after the first year of a contract. Burrow was the lone exception.
Personally, I'd look at potential guaranteed money for Chase a lot like the Burrow exception. Everyone in the locker room knows those two are the top dogs. Burrow is the most important person in the organization, but Chase is right behind him.
The start of the regular season is 25 days away. Will a deal get done before the opener? Is Chase willing to sit out?
Those are questions we don't have the answer to, but they'll continue to be asked until this situation is resolved.
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