Broncos & Ja’Marr Chase: A Dream Trade Worth Exploring?

Fortune favors the bold, and it wouldn't hurt the Denver Broncos to at least check on Ja'Marr Chase's status in Cincinnati.

Jan 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) reacts after catching a touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

There has been plenty of speculation already about whether the Denver Broncos will make calls to check on the trade availability of several veteran wide receivers, including Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets, and Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams, to say nothing of the free-agent scrutiny surrounding players like Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin.

However, there's another receiver the Broncos should make a call on, though it's highly doubtful he would be available for a trade. If he were available, he would cost a boatload of draft picks. That receiver is Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Chase is a star receiver and one of the top five players at the position in the NFL. So why is this even a slight possibility, you ask? Well, it deals boils down to his contract.

Rookies aren't eligible for an extension until after their first three years; that was 2023 for Chase. He made it clear he wanted a new contract, but the Bengals didn’t get a deal done. Instead, they picked up his fifth-year option for 2025 and had him play the 2024 season with a base salary of $1,055,000. 

Chase is now in the final year of his contract and wants a market-setting contract for a receiver, something north of Justin Jeffersons' $36 million annually in Minnesota. The Bengals have historically been a cheaper franchise, though they have broken that mold over the past five or so years.

According to reports from Radio Row in New Orleans leading up to the Super Bowl, the Bengals and Chase’s camp have begun negotiations, so this could become even more of a non-issue very fast.

But as we know, in the NFL, nothing is done until pen meets paper. Even though the Broncos will likely be unable to pry Chase away from the Bengals, it would still be worth a call. If the Broncos could swing it and convince the Bengals, Denver would immediately take multiple steps forward to reach the Super Bowl. 

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Not only would a potential Chase trade cost upwards of three first-round picks, but much more would be required to land him. Again, the first step would be convincing the Bengals to listen to the call. This would be a splash move and put the Broncos all in on Bo Nix. 

In all seriousness, never say never, but the odds of this happening are worse than slim. At the very least, it's a call the Broncos should make just to be sure.

It never hurts to try, and if the Bengals say no, they say no. There's no harm in trying to achieve the impossible. Plus, it could send the right message to the team and Denver's young quarterback.

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