Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said this week that signing wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to a contract extension is a priority for the team and Chase has made it a priority as well.
Chase didn’t practice much during training camp last summer and his status for the season opener was up in the air as the two sides tried to reach an agreement. Chase wound up playing, but dissatisfaction over the way the Bengals structured their contract offer kept the two sides from sealing the deal.
During an interview with Laura Rutledge of ESPN at the Pro Bowl, Chase was asked what he’s looking for in a deal.
“I hope I get what’s fair at the end of the day – what my worth is at the end of the day,” Chase said. “Hopefully I don’t put too much pressure on anybody, I just want it to be fair.”
Chase was then asked how he defines fair and he laughed before giving his answer.
“Fair is what I deserve,” Chase said. “I can’t really say everything I want to say. It’s what I deserve, it’s what I’ve worked for, how hard I worked for. It’s a written story already. It should be fair change.”
Chase’s production calls for a contract that put him at the top of the wide receiver market, but the past disagreements over structure show that it’s not just about the overall numbers. That leaves the two sides with plenty to talk about as they head into the offseason.
Read the full article here
