Ja'Marr Chase absent from practice amid contract dispute

As he looks for a contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase was absent from Tuesday’s practice. It marks his first absence despite the ongoing contract dispute, ESPN’s Ben Baby said.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor confirmed Chase didn’t attend Tuesday’s session. The former LSU star had been doing drills, but has not fully participated in practice so far. Taylor shared a brief update afterward, but didn’t have much of an update on when Chase will return.

“Ja’Marr (is) day-to-day,” Taylor said of Chase, via ESPN. “We’ll take it one day a time.”

Chase is entering the last year of his rookie contract, and the Bengals already picked up his fifth-year option. His desire for an extension comes as the wide receiver market took multiple turns this offseason with multiple big contracts coming down.

Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson secured a four-year, $140 million deal, while Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown landed a four-year, $120 million agreement. They were both pending free agents after the 2024 season. Another NFC North receiver – D.J. Moore – got a historic extension from the Chicago Bears two years before he was due to hit free agency.

Now, Chase is searching for long-term security beyond the one-year team option. Bengals owner Mike Brown addressed Chase’s situation last month, saying the franchise will “bend over backwards” to get a deal done.

However, prior to training camp, he said the best time to have those would be during the offseason – and it wasn’t likely it would come together in time for practice. Now, the situation is taking another turn.

“It’s not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate,” Brown said, via ESPN. “The offseason is a better time for that and we’re going to try to keep focused on the football part. I’m not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you that the die has probably been cast.”

Last season, Chase had a team-high 1,216 receiving yards on 100 catches with seven touchdowns. Tee Higgins, who played just 12 games, had 656 yards on 42 catches with five touchdowns. It was his first season with fewer than 900 receiving yards after posting two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022.

Higgins also worked through a contract issue with the Bengals, who used the franchise tag on him. Now, it’s Ja’Marr Chase navigating the extension conversations, and it comes as Cincinnati gets ready for its second preseason game this week against the Bears. The two teams will also hold joint practices ahead of the matchup.