ESPN's Jeremy Fowler Names Ja'Marr Chase's Contract Talks as NFL's Top Looming Offseason Decision

It's malpractice that a deal wasn't inked ahead of a monstrous prove-it season.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) celebrate a Higgins touchdown in the third quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. The Chargers won 34-27. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — ESPN's Jeremy Fowler named Ja'Marr Chase's contract negotiations as the top looming offseason decision for any team in 2025.

Cincinnati flubbed the negotiations this past summer, reportedly over guarantee structuring. And now are guaranteed to pay a higher price tag to keep him long term. Chase has more than earned status as the league's highest-paid wide receiver.

"Will the Bengals pay Ja'Marr Chase?" Fowler wrote. "They absolutely should. Chase is making a compelling argument as the league's best receiver, chasing the triple crown with 73 catches for 1,056 yards and 12 touchdowns. Though Justin Jefferson has been the consensus top receiver over the past two years, many scouts and coaches believe Chase strikes more fear in opponents because of his big-play ability. He's validating that belief, which means the price tag only goes up.

"The belief leaguewide is, yes, the Bengals did get close to extending Chase's contract leading up to Week 1, but while the per-year annual average on that contract offer was sufficient, the structure of the deal (guarantees) was not what he wanted. Now Chase is well-positioned to clear Jefferson's four-year, $140 million bar and then some. Will the Bengals oblige? It seems like a no-brainer, but that's still a hefty price tag for a team considered fiscally responsible. The feeling here is Cincinnati lets Tee Higgins walk in free agency and allocates resources for Chase, a 2026 free agent. If not, expect Chase to stay far away from the team for a while."

The Bengals, like with so many contract choices this decade and beyond (D.J. Reader, Jessie Bates III, Andrew Whitworth, and Kevin Zeitler to name a few), did not bet correctly in this negotiation and now will pay handsomely for it, or let another elite player walk after their rookie deal.

A wheel of madness that Cincinnati has to stop spinning if it ever wants to field a Super Bowl-winning team with Joe Burrow leading the way.

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