Bengals owner Mike Brown says they will 'try hard' to extend receiver Ja'Marr Chase

The Cincinnati Bengals have a reputation of being cheap, and that's not necessarily fair anymore.

The Bengals have signed some expensive free agents. They signed Joe Burrow to a contract that set the NFL record at $55 million per year (it has been tied by Trevor Lawrence's deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars). The old trope that the Bengals won't spend money hasn't been accurate for a while.

Still, there's another test on the Bengals' table. Receiver Ja'Marr Chase, one of the best players in the NFL, is entering his fourth NFL season. That means he's got two years left on his rookie deal and wants an extension.

Bengals owner Mike Brown addressed that with the Cincinnati media and said the team will "try hard" to extend Chase. The Bengals better do more than just give it their all.

It wasn't the best sign that Brown seemed to indicate that the team would keep negotiating with preparations for the regular season about to get going.

"It's not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate," Brown said, via ESPN. "The offseason is a better time for that and we're going to try to keep focused on the football part.

"I'm not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you that the die has probably been cast."

Bengals seek to extend Ja'Marr Chase

Brown's "try hard" comment and the skepticism of keeping dialogue going into preseason and the regular season wouldn't be a talking point with most other NFL franchise owners, but the Bengals still have the stigma of being cheap. Brown said the Bengals intend to extend Chase and that's their priority, but Bengals fans still want to see it get done.

Brown told the media that he wanted a deal done by now but it hasn't happened yet. That's understandable. The cost for Chase isn't cheap. Justin Jefferson recently got a four-year, $140 million deal, and his $35 million per year extension reset the market. Chase isn't quite to the level of Jefferson but he's close and presumably wants a similar deal. It's the Bengals' priority to get something done.

“We are going to bend over backwards to make it happen," Brown said, via Olivia Ray of WLWT. "I can’t tell you when it’s going to get done.”

They better get it done, if they want to keep distancing themselves from the notion that they won't spend on their top players.

When will Chase be signed?

Chase was the fifth pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and has lived up to his prospect status. He has three 1,000-yard seasons including a 1,455-yard, 13-touchdown rookie season. Chase won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season. He is undeniably one of the NFL's best.

It will be a challenge for the Bengals to pay Burrow and Chase together, but Cincinnati has to find a way. And that will likely happen. The Bengals have anticipated Chase's extension. One big reason the team hasn't signed Tee Higgins to a long-term extension is it might be too difficult to have Burrow, Chase and Higgins on long-term deals (although the Philadelphia Eagles are doing it with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith). Higgins is on a one-year franchise tag and seems likely to hit free agency in 2025,

Let's assume the deal gets done, whether it's now or next offseason, and Brown's "try hard" tone is just indicating that it's in the process and not preparing Bengals fans for the possibility Chase's new deal doesn't get done.

There are a few unresolved contractual issues around the NFL as training camps start, and Chase's upcoming contract is one of them. The Bengals are on the clock to get it done.