Mike Florio Reveals More Insight on 'Ugly' Bengals Negotiations With Ja'Marr Chase

Chase and the Bengals worked on a deal this pas off season.

Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA;Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) walks off the field after a failed 2-pt conversion during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — NBC Sports' Mike Florio dropped more insight into the Bengals contract negotiations with Ja'Marr Chase that were "uglier than anyone realizes" this past offseason.

Florio broke down the Bengals' willingness (or lack thereof) to change and revealed the rift.

"They’ll eventually give him a market-level deal," Florio said about the situation. "But they wanted to kick the can to 2025, because that meant paying one of the best receivers in football a measly $4.8 million in 2024. And while the structure of his rookie deal kept him from holding out ($3.8 million was paid in the form of a roster bonus due early in camp), the failure to give him a new contract prompted him to hold in, to miss most of camp and all of the preseason, and to seriously contemplate not playing in Week 1. Behind the scenes, it was uglier than anyone realizes, with fights over fines and a belief by Chase that they’d broken their promise to pay him by offering a contract that looked good on the surface but that had a very bad structure."

Chase has since gone on to lead the NFL in receiving yards (981), catches (66), and receiving touchdowns (10) this season. He'd be just the third wide receiver this century to pull that off joining Cooper Kupp and Steve Smith.

At that point, Chase could easily claim status as the NFL's best receiver at 24 years old. There are still plenty of games, but so far he's more than proven his worth this season to go with the rest of his rookie deal.

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