Bengals confident Ja’Marr Chase will play Week 1 amid contract saga

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Tuesday that he expects Ja’Marr Chase on the field Week 1. 

The star wide receiver held out of training camp as he looks for a contract extension, but he returned to practice this week as Cincinnati’s season opener against the Patriots nears. 

Taylor said Chase, a three-time Pro Bowler, has impressed during workouts since rejoining the team.

“I think it gives you the visual of what it’s going to look and feel like for us,” Taylor said, per ESPN. “It’s been good to get him back in the mix the last couple of days.”

Taylor added a simple “yes” when asked if he was confident if Chase would be ready to play Week 1.

Chase, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has two years remaining on his rookie wage scale contract, which includes an already accepted team option for the 2025 season.

The LSU product is coming off yet another massive season in 2023, catching a career-high 100 passes for 1,216 receiving yards with seven touchdowns.

It’s the second straight season Cincinnati has dealt with contract drama in its wide receiver corps after a long back-and-forth with Tee Higgins last offseason.

A year ago, the Bengals avoided tough money talks with star quarterback Joe Burrow, signing him for a then-record five-year extension worth $275 million — with $219 million guaranteed

Chase is one of a few high-profile wide receivers with some contract drama ahead of the 2024 season. 

The Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb agreed to a four-year, $136 million contract extension after a long holdout, making him the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history behind the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson. 

The 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk hasn’t been so lucky, as he and the team are mired in a stalemate on a potential deal with just days to go before the season kicks off.