Getty Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
The Cincinnati Bengals know star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is in line for a contract that could make NFL history.
Exactly how much Chase’s contract will be worth, in total, is still very much up for debate. How much Chase could get in annual salary might be easier to discern.
The Athletic’s Randy Mueller, former GM of the Seahawks, Saints and Dolphins, believes Chase and a group of other young wide receivers across the NFL could be in line for some astronomical paydays.
“The receiver market has already been reset twice in the past month, and we are on the verge of another jump with Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase and Brandon Aiyuk all up for new deals,” Mueller wrote. “All four could plausibly reset the market, so we might be looking at $35 million per year — which would be 13.7 percent of the cap — or more. That leaves the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers with big decisions with implications across their rosters.”
Chase is entering his fourth NFL season and is already a two-time NFL All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler. Chase signed a 4-year, $30.8 million contract after the Bengals selected him No. 5 overall out of LSU in 2021.
Cincinnati picked up the fifth-year option on Chase’s contract in April 2024, which would pay him $21.8 million in 2025.
Bengals Should Re-Sign Ja’Marr Chase Sooner Than Later
While Mueller questions whether a team should commit more than 20 percent of its annual salary cap to a player other than a quarterback, he thinks the Bengals signing Chase to a long-term deal as soon as possible in order to save money moving forward.
“If I were the Bengals, I would probably sign Chase — who still has two years left on his deal — as soon as possible to avoid resetting the market after Lamb’s and Jefferson’s deals come in,” Mueller wrote. “Cincinnati already appears to be planning to let Tee Higgins walk after this season, which might necessitate another high NFL Draft investment at the position next year.”
The deals for Chase and Jefferson will no doubt exceed the two mega-deals signed by NFL wide receivers in the 2024 offseason — Detroit Lions NFL All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 4-year, $120 million contract extension with $71 million guaranteed and Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown’s 3-year, $96 million contract extension with $84 million guaranteed.
Bengals Investing in WR Position Through Draft
The Bengals will almost certainly move on from disgruntled wide receiver Tee Higgins after he plays on the franchise tag for $21.8 million in 2024.
That means investing in wide receivers through the draft is a necessity, and they got that process started in 2024 when they selected Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round (No. 80 overall).
Burton will get a chance to learn from Chase and Higgins and catch passes from Joe Burrow in an apprentice role in 2024 and have a chance to prove he can be a viable WR2 option for the franchise moving forward.
Burton played his first two season of college football at Georgia before he transferred to Alabama and led the Crimson Tide with 39 receptions for 798 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2023 — 20.5 yards per reception.