Steelers Rivals on Verge of 'Very Ugly' Drama

The Pittsburgh Steelers path through the AFC North may get easier soon.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) runs off the field between plays in the second quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting to hit the regular season and have plenty of headlines following them along the way. While everyone came into the summer believing Russell Wilson versus Justin Fields would steal the show, it's actually a wide receiver trade that has taken over the news cycle.

But while Pittsburgh is waiting for their drama to come to and end, the Cincinnati Bengals are getting deeper into the thick of theirs. With Ja'Marr Chase holding in during training camp, looking for a new contract with the team, the situation in the Bengals wide receiver room has taken another turn for the worst.

Cincinnati just got over their issues with Tee Higgins after the veteran decided he would sign his franchise tag. But Chase, who's entering just his fourth year in the NFL, is looking for a long-term deal.

The former first-round pick has already had his fifth-year option exercised and is technically under contract through the 2025 season. But he wants a deal done now, and one NFL insider believes it's going to get much worse before it gets better.

Speaking on 93.7 The Fan, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said the Chase, Bengals situation is on the verge of exploding, which could become an even bigger issue for Cincy.

"He is holding in. The Bengals are cheap. The Bengals are stubborn. The Bengals may be misplaying this," Florio said. "They’re either gonna get this done in the next week or so, or it’s gonna blow up and become a completely ugly mess. They’ve done their best to hold it together now, but it could get very ugly if the Bengals don’t wake up and take care of this soon."

Florio believes Chase has a $3.8 million bonus in his contract for helping during training camp, which prevented him from holding out.

Chase is the next in a running list of Bengals that have had contract disputes over several years. He follows Higgins and All-Pro safety Jesse Bates, who left in free agency to join the Atlanta Falcons.

How this ends is still a ways away, but the Chase situation is becoming one to watch. Unlike Brandon Aiyuk or CeeDee Lamb, it seems to be making less noise, but the impact is just as significant. Chase has had three 1,000-yard seasons in three years as a professional, catching 29 touhdowns along the way. This includes plenty of missed time by Joe Burrow due to injury.

The Bengals will want to keep their star wideout, but the asking price is almost certainly over $30 million per year. So, we'll wait and see how it plays out.

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