Ja’Marr Chase this year could become the first player in NFL history to reach 80 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches in each of his first four seasons.
Could he reach that distinction in another NFL uniform? Former general manager Mike Tannenbaum raised that possibility on ESPN’s NFL Live Thursday.
“I’ve negotiated with the Cincinnati Bengals,” Tannenbaum said. “That’s in the context of a trade. They are very principled negotiators. They are not going to move. I don’t know how this gets resolved.”
Tannenbaum said Chase is scheduled to make roughly $5 million this year – one-seventh of the top of the market at his position – with two years remaining on his rookie contract.
“I don’t know how it gets resolved,” Tannenbaum said. “Eerily, this is starting to remind me of Jalen Ramsey in Jacksonville. If (Chase) doesn’t play in the first couple of weeks, could a trade be on the table? I know that’s something Cincinnati doesn’t want to do but I can’t imagine, based on my experience with them, I don’t think Cincinnati is going to change their position and I just see Ja’Marr Chase getting more dug in.”
Tannenbaum added that precedent is the reason Cincinnati and many teams avoid extension discussions with young players when they have multiple years remaining on their contracts.
“If you tear up his deal, someone’s going to knock on your door and say, ‘Hey, what are you doing for me?’”
Chase missed practice again Thursday, after head coach Zac Taylor walked back more optimistic words regarding his wide receiver’s status for the Bengals’ Week 1 home contest against New England.
Joe Burrow obviously would love to have his most dangerous receiver.
Stay tuned to this one. After the Patriots, Cincinnati gets the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.