Cincinnati Bengals

Zac Taylor doesn’t commit to Ja’Marr Chase playing in Week 1 vs. Patriots

Published by
Peter Dewey

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was noncommittal when asked about star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s status for the team’s Week 1 matchup with the New England Patriots.

Chase is currently looking for a new contract from Cincinnati, and he has been sitting out of practices as a result. On Monday, the three-time Pro Bowler was at least helping during drills in the portion of practice that was open to the media.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported that he thinks the Bengals have intensified efforts to extend Chase, but it appears the two sides are still apart on a number as of Monday.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk both received long-term extensions on their contracts this offseason.

However, Chase is in a different situation than both players. A first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Chase still has two years left on his rookie deal. That means the Bengals wouldn’t be at risk of losing him in free agency next offseason.

Still, it appears that Chase wants to be compensated for the impressive production he’s put up over his first three NFL seasons.

Chase has 29 touchdowns for his career, and he’s cleared the 1,000-yard mark in each season he’s played in Cincy. Last season, Chase appeared in 16 games, finishing with 100 receptions, 1,216 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

The Offensive Rookie of the Year in the 2021 season, Chase has earned a Pro Bowl nod in each season for Cincinnati. Since Chase is playing with his college quarterback – Joe Burrow – it makes sense that he wants a long-term deal to stay with him for the next stage in his career.

Cincinnati is hoping to make a deep playoff run in the 2024 season, but it’ll need Chase to make that happen. The Bengals made the Super Bowl in Chase’s rookie season before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game in the 2022 season.

Last season, Cincinnati failed to make the playoffs after Burrow went down with an injury.

Until Chase returns to the practice field, it’s likely that his status against the Patriots is truly up in the air.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball, football and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

‘Don’t ever compare a GOAT to a cat’: Ron Harper takes issue with unique Luka-M.J. trade comparison

In a move that seemingly has plenty of folks around the league still in shock,…

1 day ago

NFL legend suggests Chiefs are facing claims of referee bias because opposing fans don’t like their success

Considering all of the success that the Kansas City Chiefs have enjoyed in recent seasons,…

1 day ago

Bob Myers appears to leak previously unknown Kevin Durant rumor on live TV

There were a number of teams reportedly interested in Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant ahead of…

4 days ago

Source claims Luka Doncic trade didn’t actually come from Mavs GM Nico Harrison

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has seemingly become a public enemy among some Mavs…

5 days ago

Report: There is ‘increasing belief’ that Kevin Durant ends up with the Warriors

Kevin Durant seems far removed from the last time he played for the Golden State…

6 days ago

Report: Warriors exploring feasibility of reuniting with Kevin Durant

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant's time playing for the Golden State Warriors was brief, as…

7 days ago