Injured Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) walks to the locker room at halftime of the NFL 16 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. The Steelers led 24-0 at halftime. credits: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK The Cincinnati Bengals were unable to reach an extension with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase before Week 1 of the NFL season kicked off.
And Stephen A. Smith is now praying for the downfall of the Bengals.
“I hope that the Cincinnati Bengals fall flat on their damn face,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “That organization makes me sick.”
The Bengals drafted Chase with the No. 5 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. At just 24 years old, he’s already cemented himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL and is looking to secure a massive pay day. He practiced every now and then for the Bengals throughout this preseason as he negotiated a new deal.
Under Mike Brown’s ownership, the Bengals haven’t exactly been frivolous spenders, even with their own players. They had no choice but to give quarterback Joe Burrow a five-year, $275 million extension before last season.
“He was considered the damn Donald Sterling of the NFL,” Smith said of Brown’s ownership. “You get a guy like Joe Burrow on your squad… You pay him his money, but then go and give a problem to the people that he utilizes as his primary weapons.”
Burrow’s contract was an indicator to many that the Bengals were ready to go all in for a Super Bowl ring.
With Chase’s ascension into one of the best receivers in the NFL, paired next to fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins, the Bengals offense figured to be unstoppable on paper for years to come.
But following this season, Higgins will be an unrestricted free agent after the Bengals could not work out a long-term deal with him. Surely, another organization will be willing to pony up big-time cash for the Clemson product, who is still just 25 years old and could be a No. 1 receiving option.
The same thing is unfolding with Chase in real time. And Smith called it out on national television.
There’s no doubt that Chase is already one of the NFL’s best wide receivers. Sure, he technically still has two more seasons left on his rookie contract. But that’s not how the NFL works. You have to give one of your best players a chance to have some sense of security.
Not to mention, it almost feels like the Bengals will end up losing Higgins this offseason as a team will be willing to pay him as a true No. 1 option. That makes Chase even more valuable.
Andrei Iosivas, Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones and Trenton Irwin are the only other receivers on Cincinnati’s roster. The Bengals better get this sorted out.