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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase reportedly is in uniform and going through the team stretch with his teammates for the first practice in preparation for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Seemingly, Ja'Marr Chase is participating in Wednesday's practice. Chase's participation in practice throughout training camp has been in flux due to the contract dispute that he is currently in with the Bengals. Talks are still going on between the two sides, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Chase was also part of the team meeting for Week 1 preparation, according to Fowler.
It will be worth monitoring Chase's practice participation throughout the week, and if there are any positive developments when it comes to the contract as we get closer to the game. There has been a thinking that Chase would sit out games until a contract extension gets done, but him practicing on Wednesday puts that into question. It seems possible that Chase could play on Sunday given that he is practicing on Wednesday and has been part of meetings to prepare for the game.
However, Chase could also be practicing because maybe there is something that makes him feel more positive regarding contract negotiations. Only he knows, but hopefully the Bengals can figure out a long-term solution with Chase's contract to eliminate these worries. If the Bengals can figure out this contract situation with Chase, they could once again be a contender at the top of the AFC with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
On Wednesday, Chase was officially listed as limited, per the report via Mike Petraglia.
‘First injury report of 2024 out for the Bengals. Ja'Marr Chase was limited (non-injury/rest) while Amarius Mims was limited. The Mims designation could mean that he could theoretically be ready for Sunday as a backup if needed.'
What could Ja'Marr Chase's contract look like?
The wide receiver market has exploded across the NFL this offseason, as Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, AJ Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyreek Hill, Brandon Aiyuk, and others received big contracts. With how good Chase has been since joining the Bengals, he is undoubtedly looking at the top of the market to the deals that Jefferson and Lamb signed recently.
Justin Jefferson is the highest-paid receiver at $35 million a year, while Lamb is getting just under that at $34 million. Jefferson is viewed by many as the best receiver, with Chase just under that. Could something like $34.5 million a year work, or is Chase insisting on becoming the highest-paid?
Regardless, the Bengals are incentivized to figure out something with Chase as soon as possible. If they don't, they risk hurting their Super Bowl chances in 2024.
