Justin Jefferson Reportedly Causing Ja’Marr Chase Holdout With Cincinnati Bengals

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The Cincinnati Bengals are at risk of entering the 2024 NFL season without the service of superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and they may well have Chase’s college teammate, Justin Jefferson, to blame.

Chase is currently holding out for a new contract as he enters the second-to-last year of his rookie deal. While superstar wideouts such as Jefferson and Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb signed extensions this offseason, Chase and the Bengals are yet to find an agreement.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jefferson may well be to blame for that.

“My understanding is that the two sides are still discussing a long-term extension, that, if he got it, would make him either: Tied for the highest-paid receiver with Justin Jefferson, or beating Justin Jefferson by one cent, which I believe is the goal by Ja’Marr Chase,” Rapoport said this week.

Jefferson signed a four-year, $130M deal with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this summer. While Lamb recently agreed to a four-year, $136M deal to remain in Dallas. Jefferson’s deal included $110 million of guaranteed money compared to $100M for Lamb.

It’s unclear if Chase would turn down an offer of $139M and $109M guaranteed. But it does appear that there is some sort of rivalry between him and his former teammate.

One factor working against Chase is the deal that Lamb and the Cowboys agreed to. Lamb caught 135 passes for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns for Dallas in 2023. He was the player that made the Cowboys offense work. Chase, meanwhile, caught 100 passes for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. He was elite any way you look at it. But he was not as productive as Lamb.

Lamb is one year older than Chase, but was also set to hit free agency a year prior. The Bengals also need to find a way to pay No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins, who topped 1,000 yards both in 2021 and 2022 before an injury-riddled 2023 season.