A day after Bengals coach Zac Taylor mentioned that Ja’Marr Chase was expected to resume practicing, the star receiver arrived in street clothes while his teammates continued their preparations for the regular season.
Chase, a three-time Pro Bowler, had recently started practicing again after holding out during training camp as he negotiated a contract extension. The 2021 first-round pick is in the final year of his rookie deal and is likely aiming for an extension that would make him one of the league’s highest-paid receivers.
“Every day is a new day,” Taylor said about the situation, according to The Athletic. “We are working through it. I’m not going to make any predictions about tomorrow. At the end of the day, Ja’Marr is a great guy who means a lot to this team. We’re going to take it day by day.”
Clearly, something changed between Taylor’s comments on Tuesday and the start of Wednesday’s practice. It’s possible that there has been a development in Chase’s contract negotiations with the Bengals, who are running out of time to reach an agreement before Week 1.
Ja’Marr Chase just got to practice 13 minutes after it started in street clothes. It appears he isn’t practicing today a day after Zac Taylor said he was going to continue to practice pic.twitter.com/FrVSBL4Wwv
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) August 28, 2024
Bengals owner Mike Brown typically avoids contract discussions during the season, meaning the team and Chase have less than two weeks to finalize a deal. It seems Chase may be willing to continue missing practice while awaiting his new contract.
Fortunately for the Bengals, they have depth at wide receiver if Chase’s holdout extends into the regular season. Cincinnati’s receiving corps includes former two-time 1,000-yard receiver Tee Higgins and rookie third-round pick Jermaine Burton, who made several key plays during the preseason. The team is also confident in complementary receivers Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin, and Charlie Jones.
