Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase kicked off this week the same way he ended last one.
Reporters at the open portion of the team’s Monday practice session sent word that Chase was present when the team took the field, but that he is in street clothes rather than a uniform and that he remains out of drills.
Chase is looking for a new contract that would put him in the neighborhood of the ones that Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb have signed in recent months. He reported to training camp, but did not practice and returned to the sideline after taking part in one practice early last week.
With less than a week left before the Bengals open the season against the Patriots, the question in Cincinnati will be whether Chase has any intention of playing without getting that deal in place. Quarterback Joe Burrow got a new deal shortly before last season started, although he only missed practice time because of a calf injury that hampered him during the early part of the season as well.
It’s unclear if something similar is a possibility for Chase, but it’s clear Burrow and the Bengals will be in much better shape if something does come together.
Last year, in the days preceding the regular-season opener, the Bengals gave quarterback Joe Burrow a market-level contract. This year, will it happen for receiver Ja’Marr Chase?
Bengals owner Mike Brown has sent mixed signals regarding the desire to sign Chase before 2025. Chase has conducted a hold-in for most of camp; he has practiced only once.
At one point, coach Zac Taylor was asked whether Chase is being fined for not practicing. When Taylor declined to answer, we had the answer. Yes, yes he is.
The situation has yet to explode, due in large part to the fact that the media hasn’t really focused on the situation — not with the Cowboys consuming all of the oxygen and attention. Of course, neither the Bengals nor Chase’s camp have provided many quotes or sound bites that would create headlines.
The simple truth is that it has been ugly. And there’s a good chance that, if Chase doesn’t get his deal by Thursday of this week, it could get a lot uglier.
Why are the Bengals dragging their feet? We know that the price always goes up, never goes down, when a team delays signing a player to a new deal.
The key becomes delaying the new deal beyond the fourth year. Even if the eventual APY will be higher, they’ll get the player for one more season at a bargain-basement price. The Bengals will pay Chase only $4.8 million for 2024, without a new deal. (The Cowboys are getting a fourth year out of Micah Parsons — who absolutely should have held out — for $3 million.)
So, sure, the Bengals will pay Chase more next year than what they’d pay this year. But they’ll pay less than $5 million this year if they can kick the can into 2025.
That doesn’t make it right. Some have pointed out that, unlike the other receivers who were clamoring publicly for new deals, Chase has two years left on his rookie contract, not one. But so what?
The rookie wage scale, adopted in 2011, ensures that first-round picks who never play well won’t suck millions out of the system. Those who pan out, like Chase, were deprived the kind of payday they used to receive. So the team needs to pay those players as soon as they become eligible for second contracts.
Plenty of teams have managed to avoid doing this, waiting four years with first-round picks. (The Vikings, for example, pulled it off last year with Justin Jefferson.) The Bengals, however, gave Burrow a new contract after three years. Why shouldn’t Chase get one, too?
The question is whether they’ll offer Chase enough to get him to take it. We’ll find out in the next few days. And, if he doesn’t, we might find out a lot more about what’s actually been happening between Chase and the Bengals during the past several weeks.
Drake Maye might be ready, but the Patriots aren’t ready for the rookie quarterback to start yet. Coach Jerod Mayo said “a lot of factors led to this choice.”
Mayo didn’t say it, but the state of the Patriots’ offensive line surely played a part.
David Carr, the No. 1 pick in 2002, was ruined as a rookie when he took an unfathomable 76 sacks.
Whatever the Patriots’ reasons, Maye will get to sit back, watch and learn from starter Jacoby Brissett.
“I wouldn’t say disappointed; obviously, I want to play,” Maye said, via Khari Thompson of boston.com. “That’s the competitive edge in me. At the same time, I understand the situation. Jacoby has been in the offense and gotten the reps with ones all camp. So, I can’t say I’m disappointed, but at the same time, I want to be playing.”
Mayo said he wouldn’t get into “hypotheticals” about how long Brissett would keep the job. Maye likely gets his shot at some point this season, and it could come sooner than later.
Brissett left Sunday’s preseason finale with a shoulder injury, and although he is fine, it showed Maye he has to stay prepared.
“I’m still one play away, so just have to be ready for all circumstances and I’m here to help Jacoby and keep the vibes in the quarterback room up because nothing is going to change,” Maye said. “I’m still rooting for him and cheering for him.”
Chicago’s Caleb Williams, Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Denver’s Bo Nix will start as rookies. Maye won’t . . . for now.
“I feel like I left it all out there,” Maye said. “I have no regrets going back, and in the end that’s how it worked out. Like I said, I’m going to keep the right mindset, and I know this is the NFL. Shoot, it ain’t like anybody is just going out there and getting even second-team as a quarterback. Just be the blessed person I am and thank God for his blessings.”
The drama continues for the Bengals and receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Once again, Chase is not practicing on Thursday, according to multiple reporters on the scene.
Chase came onto the field in street clothes as the team was going through drills early on in the session.
Things between the Bengals and Chase seemed alright earlier in the week, as head coach Zac Taylor said he was confident the receiver would play Week 1 after he’d returned to practice. But then that changed on Wednesday, as Chase was once again sitting out — just as he had throughout training camp.
It’s not unclear whether or not Chase is going to play in the season opener against the Patriots.
Taylor said before practice that he “wasn’t going to make any predictions” about whether or not Chase would be on the field, acknowledging it would likely be a similar outcome to Wednesday. But Taylor also noted that Chase has been on top of things in the building.
“He’s been in every meeting,” Taylor said. “So, he knows everything. He’s been in the system for the three years he played in it, a fourth year now. So, again, he knows everything.”
Taylor also noted that the Chase situation has not made things too much more difficult when it comes to getting ready for the season.
“In this league, every week there’s a form of adversity and you’ve got to find the positives in it,” Taylor said. “Our team has found the positives in it and is able to support a teammate, find positives for other teammates, and continue to move forward. Again, you can’t waste a day complaining about a situation. You’ve just got to make the most of it and keep it moving. And that’s what our guys have done. Again, we’re all on the same page. We’re all on board with this thing. So, just excited to get to game week.”
The Ravens unveiled a new alternate helmet this year and they announced when they will wear it for the first time on Thursday.
The purple headgear will make its debut during their Week 10 Thursday night home game against the Bengals. It will be the first time that the Ravens have worn a helmet other than their familiar black one.
“The reaction to our ‘Purple Rising’ helmet launch from both players and fans was extremely positive,” Ravens senior vice President of marketing Brad Downs said in a statement. “We can’t wait to debut it in front of a national audience and huge Baltimore crowd this November.”
It’s not the only bit of fashion news that the team shared on Thursday. They also revealed that they will wear all-black uniforms for their Week Four Sunday night game against the Bills.
