The Cincinnati Bengals were unable to reach a contract extension with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase before the start of Week 1 of the NFL season.
And Stephen A. Smith is now praying for the Bengals’ downfall.
“I hope the Cincinnati Bengals screw up,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “I’m sick of that team.”
The Bengals selected Chase with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Though he’s only 24 years old, he’s already established himself as one of the NFL’s best receivers and is in line for a big payday. He practiced sporadically with the Bengals this preseason and was in negotiations for a new contract.
Under Mike Brown’s ownership, the Bengals have never been particularly wasteful, even on their own players, and were forced to sign quarterback Joe Burrow to a five-year, $275 million contract extension before last season.
“He was considered the Donald Sterling of the NFL,” Smith said of Brown’s ownership. “You bring a guy like Joe Burrow onto your team … you’re paying him, but you’re going to give problems to people who he uses as his primary weapon.”
Burrow’s signing was, for many, The Bengals were ready to give it their all. For a Super Bowl ring.
Chase has developed into one of the NFL’s best receivers, and paired with fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins, the Bengals’ offense was projected to be unstoppable for years to come.
However, the Bengals were unable to sign Higgins to a long-term contract, making him an unrestricted free agent after this season. There are sure to be teams willing to pay big money for the Clemson native who is just 25 years old and could become a No. 1 receiver.
The same thing is happening in real time with The Chase, and Smith called it out on national television.
There’s no question that Chase is already one of the best wide receivers in the NFL — and, of course, he still technically has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract — but that’s not how the NFL works. You have to give one of your best players a chance to feel some security.
Needless to say, the Bengals will likely lose Higgins in the offseason, as a team would be willing to pay him as a true No. 1 pick, which would make Chase even more valuable.
Cincinnati only has four receivers remaining on the roster — Andrei Iosivas, Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones and Trenton Irwin — so the Bengals would be better off fixing this issue.
