The Cincinnati Bengals are excited to have Joe Burrow back with the team in 2024 following last year's season-ending wrist injury. Burrow and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase will have a huge impact on the Bengals' offense this season, which could help Chase land a major payday. Chase is entering his fourth season in the NFL and is due a monster contract extension.
Chase recently made an appearance with former Bengals RB Joe Mixon at a local football camp. He spoke on a variety of topics, including his health and his QB Joe Burrow.
According to Chase, he feels “100 percent.” He has apparently devoted the offseason to two major objectives: staying in shape with a heavy running regimen and making sure that his “body is right.”
These are priorities for Chase after a season in which he played through a sore back and missed a game with a shoulder injury. He also saw his QB go down for the season with a wrist injury.
“The only thing I'm telling (Burrow) is know how to dial off, like he's been telling me,” Chase said. “You're a pro now. If you're feeling tweaks in your hand, you have to know how to relax yourself some time. It's like me and my hip. (Head coach) Zac (Taylor) told me to let him know what I'm feeling in my hip and he let me do what I had to for the games.”
Chase has not been present at OTAs but will attend Cincinnati's mandatory minicamp next week. However, he got a chance to throw the ball around with Burrow in April and reports that Burrow looked just fine.
“We felt comfortable about it,” Chase said. “I already know Joe. He's a strong person, strong heart. He's a working person at that. [Burrow is] going to give his all with everything he does.”
Justin Jefferson extension could earn Ja'Marr Chase a larger contract
Ja'Marr Chase has gone on record that he wanted his former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson to sign a contract extension before he agreed to one with Cincinnati.
The first shoe dropped recently when the Vikings signed Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million contract extension. His deal features $110 million in guaranteed money and makes him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.
The wide receiver market is always increasing in the NFL, with each player looking to reset the market. Jefferson's extension could lay the ground work for Chase's representation as the starting point in negotiations with the Bengals.
Tee Higgins makes cryptic social media post amid contract dispute with Bengals
Even if the Bengals are able to retain Chase on a long-term contract, they are not certain who his WR2 will be in the long run.
Tee Higgins has been the Robin to Chase's Batman, but Higgins does not seem to be in the long-term plans for Cincinnati.
Higgins recently posted a cryptic message on his Instagram account. The post is of Higgins working out and reads “I tell em no, they can't wait to call me selfish…”
The post is widely believed to be referring to Higgins' contract dispute with the Bengals. The Bengals have placed the franchise tag on Higgins, which would have him play on a $21.82 fully-guaranteed contract in 2024. He would then become a free agent in 2025.
However, Higgins has yet to sign his contract and is instead choosing a contract holdout.
Higgins has previously said that he “expects” to play with the team in 2024, but this Instagram post introduces some doubt about that expectation.
Follow Us
Subscribe
