Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase did not practice on Wednesday, just a day after head coach Zac Taylor told the media that Chase would participate fully all week.
Chase was there Wednesday, as recorded by ESPN’s Ben Baby, but he did not practice. He had participated in light workouts on Monday and Tuesday, prompting Taylor to say Tuesday afternoon, “The plan is to continue working out with him.” It appears Taylor spoke a little too soon.
Chase has essentially been “holding back” the entire preseason because he wants to be paid more than the $1.1 million he’s set to make in 2024 (though his salary is set to jump to more than $21 million in 2025 after the Bengals picked up his fifth-year option in April). And he’s used a variety of methods to make his wishes known. He’s been to training camp, but not as a participant. There have been times when he hasn’t been at the facility at all. He hasn’t appeared in any preseason games. He returned to practice earlier this week, but now he’s back on the sidelines.
Chase has been a key part of the Bengals’ recent success, a standout on the field catching passes from QB Joe Burrow and a reliable point scorer in fantasy. He’s caught 100 passes in 2023 and has 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons.
Despite his reticence complicating matters on the field (he’s barely practiced in the past month) and in fantasy (where in the world do you draft an impact player who hasn’t practiced?!), he’s doing what he feels he has to do to make sure the Bengals give him what he’s worth.
Taylor also said Tuesday that he expects Chase to play the New England Patriots in Week 1. That still seems to be the plan, but given how quickly things are changing at Bengals HQ, no one knows what the future holds.
