Ja’Marr Chase recently became the sixth wide receiver in NFL history (in Super Bowl era) to win the Triple Crown. He led the league in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708), and receiving touchdowns (17).
The star wide receiver was looking for a contract extension last offseason but was not able to agree on terms with the Cincinnati Bengals. The situation worked out perfectly in his favor, as Chase is now expected to get more money this upcoming offseason.
Adam Schefter Drops Info on Ja’Marr Chase’s Market Value
Senior NFL insider Adam Schefter discussed Chase’s potential contract extension on ESPN’s “NFL Live.” He believes the Bengals player will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league and will easily surpass Justin Jefferson’s annual salary of $35 million.
Per Spotrac, the Bengals are projected to have $49.98 million in cap space for next season. Schefter predicted Chase to get close to $40 million annually with his new deal, which will likely result in an extension in the region of $160 million.
“It’s a good thing to have all the space they do because they’re going to have a lot of expenditures,” Schefter said. “We start with Ja’Marr Chase; I think you’re looking at a deal in the neighborhood of about $40 million dollars a year; that’s what he’s going to be looking for, and we’ll see if the two sides can figure out a way to get that done.”
“Clearly, they want him back as they should want him back,” Schefter added. “He’s as good as any wide receiver in football, one of the best players in the league, and they’re going to want to get that deal done, and I’m going to guess that deal is somewhere around $40 million per year.”
Since the 24-year-old wideout would want more guaranteed money than Jefferson, it could result in the Bengals paying around $100 million in guaranteed money to Chase. The AFC North team would have saved themselves close to $20 million if they had offered an extension to the player last offseason.
Chase bet on himself and played the best football of his career. He deserves to become the highest-paid receiver in the league, and the Bengals know they will have to pay him or else risk damaging their relationship with Joe Burrow.
Bengals Will Likely Lose Tee Higgins
Since Chase will be the Bengals’ priority in the offseason, there’s a good chance Cincinnati will lose WR Tee Higgins, who will be an unrestricted free agent. The Clemson product played on the franchise tag this past season, and although Burrow expressed his desire to have both Chase and Higgins on the team for the foreseeable future, it will be tough for the Bengals to keep both of them.
The Bengals finished 9-8 this past season and missed the playoffs. Their defense gave up an average of 25.5 points per game, and the team was not able to overcome that despite Burrow and Chase having the best seasons of their careers.
As a result, the franchise has to focus on improving its defense to help new defensive coordinator Al Golden. With his contract extension, Higgins is expected to receive over $30 million in annual salary, and Cincinnati will not be able to address its defensive woes if it spends around $70 million every year on two wide receivers.
Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills have proved that they can be Super Bowl contenders without having the best of the wide receivers. The Bengals have to follow that approach, as Burrow would benefit more from a better defense rather than having another superstar as his WR2.
