Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown has had a reputation of being cheap, and according to a former NFL executive, he is also a tough, stubborn negotiator, which may cause issues for wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.

Chase, who has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, is itching for a contract extension and a massive pay raise from what he is making currently. But Brown, per former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, may be ready to franchise tag Chase when the time comes.

“At $4.8 million, Ja’Marr Chase is dramatically underpaid,” Tannenbaum said on ESPN's ‘Get Up.' “However, I’ve negotiated with Mike Brown in trades. He is a guy that puts a value on a position and he will not move, period, end of story. So this, to me, is really interesting. [Chase is] supposed to make $4.8 million this year, $21.8 million next year, and the year after, guys, just to remind you, like his teammate Tee Higgins, they can franchise [tag] him. So if I’m Mike Brown, I’m saying, ‘Hey, for the next 3 years, I know what you’re going to get paid.'”

Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase contract situation

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) runs off the field between plays in the second quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Like Mike Tannenbaum said, Ja'Marr Chase is scheduled to make $4.86 million this year with the Cincinnati Bengals. And since the Bengals have exercised the fifth-year option on Chase's deal, he is set to earn $21.82 million next season, which is about 70% of his earnings through four seasons in the NFL.

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Past that fifth season, though, Chase is not technically under contract, but the team can use the franchise tag on him. This season, the franchise tag for a wide receiver is equal to Chase's fifth-year salary, but as the cap increases and contracts increase as well, Chase would likely make quite a bit more if the Bengals elected to place the franchise tag on him in 2026.

Chase's teammate, fellow Bengals wideout Tee Higgins, earned about $10 million through his first four seasons in Cincinnati, and once he was looking for an extension, Brown, like Tannenbaum mentioned, decided to tag Higgins and pay him $21.82 million this season. The team can, in theory, choose to tag Higgins again next offseason, but it is more likely he will sign a long-term deal with either Cincinnati or another team more willing to pay him like some of the higher-paid wide receivers in the league.

The Bengals are set to open the season on Sept. 8 vs. the New England Patriots.